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Searching for a New Self-Directed IRA Custodian? Consider the Following Factors

Posted on September 24, 2015December 6, 2018 by Nate Hare

As individuals search for new ways to get the most out of their retirement savings, financial services providers are engaging in increasingly competitive practices in order to bring in new business. In fact, you may notice that every year, particularly around tax time, you’re bombarded with promotions from traditional IRA custodians (such as banks and discount brokers) looking to offer financial incentives to entice you to open new accounts with them. Even in the self-directed IRA marketplace, you may find that you have multiple options for custodial services.

In addition, if you already have a self-directed IRA you still may find yourself in the market for a new custodian — perhaps your account has grown to a level where you want a higher level of service, or you’re simply looking for something new. Here are some factors to consider when you find yourself searching for a new self-directed IRA custodian.

Experience. As self-directed IRAs become more prevalent and better understood by retirement savers, a number of financial institutions have entered the fray to offer custodial services. Not all of these companies have the same degree of expertise, however. As you search for a new custodian for your self-directed IRA, look to those that can point to a proven track record of providing custodial services.

Self-Directed IRA Specialization. In fact, you may wish to limit your search to companies that specialize in self-directed IRA custodial services. If a custodian is not distracted (and isn’t tempted to try to upsell you) with an overly-broad range of financial services, you can be more confident that you are receiving the best degree of service. In addition, verify that any custodian you are considering offers a full range of self-directed IRA services, including the opportunity to provide precious metals safekeeping and real estate related transactional services.

Pricing. Of course, with specialization and expertise comes cost. Don’t be tempted to compare the prices of different custodians without being sure that you’re comparing similar levels of service. After all, the idea that “you get what you pay for” often holds true with respect the self-directed IRA custodial services.

Opportunity to Learn. It’s important to understand exactly what types of services you can expect from a self-directed IRA custodian. For example, as part of their custodial services, no self-directed IRA custodian should be providing you with specific investment advice with regards to your individual account. Still, there are other ways that you can get assistance with your account. Look for a custodian that provides learning resources and other materials, perhaps something akin to a knowledge base.

Chances are you’ve developed some skills as a consumer, and know how to comparison shop. Rather than buy the first product you see, you take the time to compare the various pluses and minuses of the various options you have, before choosing the product that provides you the overall best deal. You can apply these skills with great effect the next time you’re looking for a new self-directed IRA custodian.

Don’t Count on Working For the Rest of Your Life (and Why Your Self-Directed IRA is Therefore So Important)

Posted on August 6, 2015December 7, 2018 by questadmin

We’re all aware of the fact that many (if not most) Americans haven’t saved enough money toward their retirements. One common response to the anticipated gap between anticipated living expenses during retirement and the amount a person has saved is for that person to delay the date upon which they anticipate being able to retire.

The reasoning is certainly clear; by working longer a person will be able to both save more money for retirement, and to delay the date upon which they’ll have to begin living off the funds in their nest egg. Unfortunately, the statistics indicate that this isn’t always possible.

A recent study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that while a full one third of workers planned to retire after the reached age 65, less than half of those individuals actually remained in the workforce that long. On the flip side of the coin, while less than 10% of workers indicated that they planned to retire before they reached age 60, approximately 35% of individuals had actually left the workforce by the time they turned 60.

While some of these individuals may simply have been fortunate enough to accumulate much more than they originally planned to, that same report makes clear what’s driving these numbers. Nearly half of all retirees indicated that they left the workforce earlier than anticipated in order to deal with health issues, either their own issues or those of a spouse or family member.

In addition, a significant number of individuals who left the workforce earlier than they planned did so because of an employer downsizing or closure, or because they no longer had the skills to remain employed in a changing marketplace.

In short, just because a person hopes or plans to stay in the workforce for a longer period of time in order to make up a shortfall in their retirement savings, that doesn’t mean it will be possible to do so.

As an alternative, a person could also make up this shortfall by adjusting their anticipated retirement lifestyle, thereby reducing their retirement expenses. While there is likely to be a minimum amount that an individual or couple will need to retire with reasonably stability and security, chances are this amount is less than what they were hoping to live off of.

If you’re not willing to downsize your retirement plan, then you’re only left with one real alternative, and that’s to maximize your rate of retirement savings every single year, and to begin doing so immediately. You might also investigate the advantages that a Roth self-directed IRA could provide you, in terms of the tax-free distributions you can take, as well as the fact that you could let a Roth account continue to grow even after you reach age 70, such that you’re not subject to the rules on required minimum distributions.

Contact Quest Trust Company to learn more about how you can open a self-directed IRA and strengthen your financial future.

Circumstances Under Which You Might Consider Taking

Posted on August 3, 2015December 9, 2019 by questadmin

Early Withdrawals from Your Self-Directed IRA

The IRA was created to give individuals a tax-advantaged option to save for their retirements, and exercise more control over such accounts than workers traditionally had with employer-sponsored pensions. In exchange for such benefits, however, the IRS requires that the accounts truly be for retirement purposes, so an individual who takes funds out of their account will be faced with a 10% penalty on the amount of the withdrawal, on top of whatever taxes might otherwise be due.

But there are a few situation in which the IRS will waive that 10% penalty, and these can potentially provide you with the opportunity to make financially sound early withdrawals from your self-directed IRA.

To Pay Down High-Interest Debt. This isn’t necessarily a good idea for everyone. But if having too much high interest debt is impacting other areas of your personal finances, then it could potentially be worth taking an early withdrawal from your self-directed IRA — although the amount of that withdrawal should be as small as is necessary to accomplish your goals.

For example, if you find that servicing your credit card debt is preventing you from being able to afford adequate health insurance, or that your credit score has dropped to the point where it’s become more expensive to take out car loans or get a new mortgage, then an early withdrawal from your self-directed IRA might make sense.

To Improve Your Career. You may already be aware that you can take penalty-free early distributions from your self-directed IRA to pay for so-called “qualified educational expenses.” These expenses include not only tuition, but also room, board, and other expenses that are a necessary part of attending a qualified educational institution (not just traditional colleges and universities, but also vocational schools and other organizations that are eligible to participate in federally guaranteed financial aid programs).

This exemption is normally pitched as a way to pay an IRA account owner to pay for their child’s educational expenses. Many financial experts would advise that it’s usually better not to sacrifice one’s retirement future to help their child pay for college, and that a better path forward would involve a greater contribution from the child, taking on student loans, and perhaps even considering less expensive educational options.

But you can also use this penalty-free exemption to improve your own education, and to boost your career in the process. Again, you should investigate other financial options (such as low-interest federally guaranteed student loans if you’re eligible) before taking a distribution from your retirement account.

To Buy a Home. If you’re a first-time homebuyer (which simply means that you haven’t owned a home at any point during the last two years), then you can take an early withdrawal of up to $10,000 to help you cover the purchase of that property. This type of early withdrawal can be a great financial choice if it’s the difference between you being able to purchase a suitable home versus continuing to rent.

Any action that reduces the size of your retirement nest egg should be done only with caution, and after considering all your alternatives. But in some circumstances taking an early withdrawal from your self-directed IRA might make good financial sense.

How To Save On Investment And Management Expenses Next Year With Your Self-Directed IRA

Posted on March 16, 2015October 31, 2018 by questadmin

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, or so goes the saying. Even in the context of saving money for retirement, you’re going to have to pay for the various services provided by your account custodian. Even if you have a “free” account at a discount brokerage, you’ll still pay transaction based fees for buying and selling investments.

All other things being equal, the more you spend on fees, the smaller your retirement nest egg will be. With that in mind, here are some suggestions for saving on investment and management expenses next year in your self-directed IRA.

Understand Your Baseline. The first step to reducing the fees you pay is to understand what you are paying now. Take a look at your prior account statements and identify all the fees and expenses you paid. It may be helpful to separate them out by investment type, so that you can compare appropriate categories going forward.

It’s important to acknowledge and understand that when it comes to fees and expenses, you’ll need to pay more in order to get a higher level of involvement and service. The fees and commissions applicable to buying a few hundred shares of a publicly traded stock are always going to be significantly less than those for purchasing a piece of real estate or for custodial services relating to precious metals investments.

Leverage Your Own Investment Experience. The next step is to examine those areas in which you have substantive investing experience, and consider cutting back on the professional management. For example, if you’ve accumulated years of experience investing in real estate with your taxable accounts, then you may be able to use that knowledge and expertise to make real estate investments with your self-directed IRA.

Professional Management. On the other side of the equation (and this might seem a bit counterintuitive), bringing in outside help in the form of professional active management might end up being a positive for your account. A professional may be able to identify areas in which your investment is underperforming and thereby increase your overall net return even once their fees are taken into account.

Evaluate Your Options. You may have more options available to you when it comes to structuring the fees you pay than you realize. For example, some custodians let you choose how your annual account maintenance fee is structured, whether that’s based on a percentage of your total account value, an asset by asset calculation, or even a flat fee that covers your account as well as the accounts of your immediate family members. You may be able to save a significant amount of money next year simply by going back to your custodian’s fee schedule and taking another look.

Getting A Head Start On Your Annual Self-Directed IRA Contributions

Posted on March 12, 2015February 4, 2020 by questadmin

How much do you plan to contribute to your self-directed IRA this year? The annual limit for IRA contributions for 2015 remains unchanged at $5,500, with an additional $1,000 contribution permissible for taxpayers aged 50 and older. Hopefully you plan to contribute the maximum allowable amount, and you’ve been making such maximum contributions every year for quite a while.

Now the trickier question; when do you plan to make those contributions? If you’re like most IRA account holders, you’ll wait until the end of the year to make your contributions. But when you think about it, there’s no reason to automatically consider your IRA contributions to be an end of the year financial matter.

By getting a head start on your annual contribution, and making the contribution to your account earlier in the year, you’ll give your money the most time and greatest opportunity to grow. Here are some tips for getting that jump on your future.

Use Your Tax Refund. If you’ve already planned for how you’re going to spend your next tax return, then you might want take another look at your plan. This might seem like a tough adjustment the first year you make the change, but if you can create a new habit for yourself it can really pay off for you in the long run.

Anticipate Future Deductibility and Make a Contribution Now. If you have a good idea of how much you’ll pay in taxes this year, and how much of a refund you expect to receive, then you may be able to find a way to bridge the gap until you receive the refund and make your deposit immediately. Again, given the significant value that can accrue from having money in your account longer, being able to shift each annual contribution up slightly earlier, even if it’s just a matter of an extra month or two each year can really boost the value of your nest egg by the time you reach retirement.

Maximize Your Prior Year Contributions First. Remember that you have until you file your prior year’s taxes (but in no case later than April 15). Still, if you haven’t been able to maximize your prior year’s contributions yet, you should first make those prior year contributions. Your annual contribution amounts are a “use it or lose it” proposition, so making sure not to lose any opportunity to make a contribution should be your primary consideration.

The specific methods you use to make your annual self-directed IRA contributions as early as possible each year will vary, depending on your other financial circumstances. But given how important this can be for your financial health during retirement, it’s worth your time and effort to do so.

Coming Tax Law Changes In 2015 That Could Affect Your Self-Directed IRA

Posted on February 27, 2015October 31, 2018 by questadmin

As you know, the federal income tax code is a dynamic set of laws and regulations, and every year brings about changes. For example, you’re probably already well aware that the income limits for self-directed IRA contributions and/or deductibility tend to increase every year, and the annual contribution limits increase over time as well.

A Clarification on Rollover Rules. One of the biggest “changes” to the rules relating to self-directed IRAs is actually in the nature of a clarification of an existing rule. Any current IRS regulations allow IRA holders to make, once a year, a rollover between accounts and take possession of the rollover proceeds individually, provided that they re-deposit those funds into their new account within a 60 day period. Many individuals interpreted this annual rollover limit to apply on an account by account basis, meaning that if they held multiple IRAs, they could make the same number of rollovers, provided that no account was rolled over more than once per year.

The Tax Court clarified that this rollover rule actually applies per account holder, meaning that the individual can only make one IRA rollover per year, regardless of the number of accounts they hold. The clarification was meant to address perceived abuses by some individuals who would open a large number of IRAs and then use the 60-day rollover provision to essentially make interest-free short-term loans to themselves without any negative tax consequences.

The Tax Court further clarified that the 12-month period of limitation does not mean merely once per calendar year. Rather, after a permitted rollover, the individual cannot make another until after 12 months, even though that period will likely extend into the next calendar year.

Note that direct custodian to custodian transfers are not affected and you can make direct rollovers as frequently as you’d like. This means that this new clarification should not impact your ability to roll your existing accounts into a single self-directed IRA, provided that the rollover is done directly from custodian to custodian.

Inherited IRA Rules. Another big rule change comes directly from the Supreme Court. Prior to last year’s decision, there was some uncertainty and disagreement as to whether an inherited IRA was subject to federal protection from creditors (as may be the case in a bankruptcy proceeding) in the same way that employer-sponsored retirement plans were. The court’s decision clarified that unless the IRA is bequeathed to a spouse, an inherited IRA would in fact be subject to the claims of creditors.

These new and clarified tax rules will not affect every owner of a self-directed IRA, but it’s important to gain at least a passing familiarity with them so that you can avoid making any decisions with your account that will unintentionally cost you or your heirs money in the years to come.

Calculating A Fair Market Value Of Your Illiquid Self-Directed IRA Investments – And Why It Matters

Posted on February 19, 2015December 2, 2018 by questadmin

When you want to know the true, fair market value of your checking account, savings account, or bank CDs, you simply check your balance. It’s the same case with your publically traded stock investments; you simply log into your account while the market is open and you’ll get an instant and accurate valuation.

But what’s the fair market value of your home or your car? You might have a general idea of the proper value, but it can be challenging to come up with an accurate assessment. You may also find it a bit challenging to come up with a fair market value for illiquid investments you hold inside your self-directed IRA.

Let’s examine some of the most common illiquid investments in self-directed IRAs, how you can calculate a fair market value, and why this can be so important.

Real Estate. Real estate investments are generally considered to be illiquid, even if the property is located in a “hot” market where the number of buyers greatly exceeds the number of sellers. That’s because the sales transaction itself generally takes some time, so even if you have strong buyer interest in a property you’re trying to sell,it can take several weeks or more before you actually liquidate and receive your check.

Because a property is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, you can calculate a fair market value for investment by looking at recent comparable sales in your area, or enlist the help of a local estate expert and draw upon their experience.

Private Equity and Debt Instruments. You’ll probably need to rely more on expert assistance when you need to find the fair market value of any private equity or private debt investments you hold within your self-directed IRA. This is due in large part to the fact that the data regarding prior transactions won’t likely be available – such transactions are not a matter of public record in the same manner as are real estate transactions.

Why Does it Matter? Knowing the fair market value of illiquid investments within your self-directed IRA is important for several different reasons. First, the more accurate the valuation information you have about the investments in your self-directed IRA (and the other investments you have), the better you’ll be able to plan, assess the risks, and diversify your overall investment portfolio.

In addition, if your self-directed IRA is set up as a traditional account, you’ll become subject to the rules on required minimum distributions once you reach age 70½. This isn’t particularly problematic from an administrative perspective if all of your investments are liquid, like stocks. You always know what your account is worth, and therefore you can easily calculate your RMD obligations. You can also quickly sell whatever investments you need to in order to meet those obligations.

When to Invest in Real Estate Short Sales With Your Self-Directed IRA

Posted on November 7, 2014 by questadmin

There are lots of different ways to use a self-directed IRA to invest in real estate. You can purchase properties outright, of course, and your investments can run the gamut from single-family residential real estate, multi-family units such as apartment buildings, commercial properties, industrial properties, undeveloped land, and even farmland.

Due to its very nature, the market for virtually every type of real estate investment is going to be different then the trading markets for stocks and mutual funds. Real estate is an illiquid asset class, and it’s not uncommon for buyers to borrow a significant portion of both the funds required for purchasing properties, using the property itself as security for that borrowing.

Sometimes these buyers won’t be able to satisfy their repayment obligations, and the entities that provided that financing will want to use the property as a means to satisfy the debt. The well-known foreclosure process is often used in the context of residential borrowers failing to repay their mortgages. The “short sale” is a similar process.

A short sale is a negotiation involving the sale of property where the proceeds of the sale will be less than the outstanding debts and liens on that property, but which releases the defaulting borrower of any further liability. A seller generally agrees to submit to a short sale if they aren’t able to continue making payments on their mortgage, but doesn’t want to go through the additional expense and possible credit rating damage of the traditional foreclosure process.

As with property foreclosures, the short sale process can present investors with opportunities to purchase properties at below market prices. Here are some factors to consider before you pursue this type of opportunity with your self-directed IRA.

Many prospective home buyers (investors or otherwise) avoid short sale scenarios because they can sometimes be an extremely long and drawn out process. A short sale requires that all of the parties who hold liens on the property, which will likely include the bank or finance company who gave the first mortgage on the property (as well as any subsequent mortgages or home equity lines of credit), any tax liens, and any other indebtedness consent to the terms of the short sale. In many cases some lien holders will only receive a small portion of the money they’re owed. Getting all these consents can often take a great deal of time.

Understand that the short sale process isn’t as easy to understand as a traditional sale of property. Unlike an arms length sale, or even a traditional foreclosure, there can be many levels of negotiation, with different sensitivities among the different stakeholders. In some cases getting professional help can make the difference between the transaction happening or not.

Using Your Self-Directed IRA to Match Your Investing Philosophy and Outlook

Posted on October 30, 2014December 9, 2019 by questadmin

Owning a self-directed IRA gives you a number of different freedoms over having your account with a traditional IRA custodian. For example, you can use a self-directed IRA to invest in all the different asset classes that are legally permissible, but which traditional IRA custodians won’t allow. These include real estate, precious metals, and various types of private equity and debt investments.

This means that you can use your self-directed IRA to execute upon your own personal investing philosophy and outlook with the widest possible range of investment choices. But to do this effectively, of course, you will need to understand just what your investing philosophy and outlook are.

What Kind of Investor Are You?

There are a number of resources online to help you determine your investing philosophy. You can take an online quiz, or go back and review some of your past investment activities. Do you enjoy the “rush” of high-risk / high-reward investing, even when some of your past investment choices haven’t worked out the way you wanted? Or have you deliberately tended to shy away from the riskier side of the investment spectrum in the past, being willing to give up some potential gains in order to be more comfortable that your underlying investment principle is safe?

What is Your Investment Outlook?

Next you should consider what your investment outlook is. This will include objective factors such as how many years you have until you reach your target retirement age, as well as more subjective factors such as the lifestyle that you plan to have during retirement.

This information can help you determine the type of performance goals you have for your website in the context of your individual situation. By asking yourself these questions you’ll have a solid basis for choosing your individual investments, because they’ll be supporting your particular needs, rather than just working towards an arbitrary retirement savings goal.

What Types of Investment Classes Fit Best?

Your next step is to identify the types of investment classes best suit your needs. Begin by framing this inquiry in terms of what your current income needs are (if any), as well as how much capital growth and appreciation you’re looking to target.

The traditional wisdom is that individuals who are closer to retirement age (or who perhaps have already entered retirement) will generally have a greater need for income producing investments, while individuals who have several decades before reaching retirement age will want to have a much higher percentage of their portfolios in growth-oriented investments. This may be true in the broadest of terms, but there is some disagreement on precisely what the optimal mix of income and growth should be for an investor of a particular age. So don’t follow any suggest invested mix unless you’re comfortable it’s a good fit for you.

By considering your unique financial situation and your investing personality, you’ll be in a great position to choose the most appropriate investments for your self-directed IRA.

It’s Never Too Late to Start Investing in a Self-Directed IRA

Posted on October 9, 2014October 31, 2018 by questadmin

We all know that the longer we save for retirement, the greater possible chance you’ll give yourself to reach your retirement goals. When we run the numbers, we see that an adult who begins saving for retirement in earnest at age 21 is going to be at a great advantage to someone who doesn’t begin seriously saving until age 35 or 40.

For example, let’s take a look at two individual who are using their self-directed IRAs to save for retirement. The first person begins making $5,000 annual contributions to their account at age 25, and does so every year until age 67. The second individual doesn’t begin making those annual contributions until age 35, but again does so until age 67.

Assuming an 8% annual rate of return, by the time those two people reach age 67, the first will have accumulated almost $1.8 million in their account, while the second will have accumulated less than $800,000 in their account. In other words, even though the second individual still began saving for retirement relatively early in life, the fact that they started saving ten years later than the first person resulted in an account that was less than half the value of the person who began saving at age 25.

The situation is even worse for someone who doesn’t begin saving until age 40. Under the same set of assumptions, that individual will have accumulated just over $500,000 by the time they reach age 67. This is significantly less than one-third of the amount of the nest egg of the individual who began saving at age 25.

These figures are compelling, but the downside of examples such as these are that they can lead some individuals to conclude that somehow they’ve missed their opportunity to build the biggest possible nest egg, and that it’s not worth bothering saving at all.

Instead, the best path forward is not to compare yourself to what could have been if you had started saving earlier in life. Even in the “worst case” scenario we discussed above, the person who only began saving at age 40 was still able to accumulate over $500,000 in their self-directed IRA. And this represents just a single retirement account, does not involve making the maximum contributions each year ($5,500 in 2014), does not take into account the availability of being able to make “catch up” contributions (an additional $1,000 per year for account holders age 50 and over), or future increases in the contribution limits.

Furthermore, that same individual can also save for retirement in taxable accounts, and through any employer sponsored plans they have available at work. In short, starting saving for retirement earlier in life is almost always a good thing, but it’s never too late to start.

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