IRA Financial Blog
Insights, strategies, and expert answers on self-directed retirement, taxes, and alternative investing.
The Solo 401(k) Advantage for Leveraged Real Estate: The UDFI Exemption Explained
Real estate has always been one of my favorite retirement account investments, and leverage is often what makes the numbers work. The catch is that…
How to Invest in Private Funds with a Self-Directed IRA Without Getting Hit With Unnecessary Taxes
More of my clients than ever are using a Self-Directed IRA to invest in private funds, and I understand why. Private equity, private credit, venture…
The Beginner’s Guide to the Self-Directed Roth IRA in 2026
I've been a tax lawyer for more than 25 years, and I believe the Roth IRA is the greatest legal tax shelter available to American investors. I feel…
The Great ETF Fee Myth: Why a Flat-Fee Self-Directed IRA May Be One of the Best Bargains in Retirement Investing
For years, Wall Street has convinced investors that ETFs are cheap and Self-Directed IRAs are expensive. After nearly 16 years of building IRA…
Self-Directed IRA RMDs: Taking Required Distributions From Real Estate and Private Assets
Self-Directed IRA RMDs are one of the most common questions I get from clients in their early seventies. When your retirement account owns a rental…
The Pentagon Is Building a 90-Day Fortress. Is Your Retirement Built the Same Way?
The Pentagon has a new plan that asks a simple question: what happens if the outside world stops cooperating? The plan is called FORTRESS, and its…
Cattle and Livestock Investing in a Self-Directed IRA
Every few months a rancher or farmer calls me to ask whether they can put cattle in their retirement account. They can. Livestock investing in a…
Self-Directed IRA Year-End Checklist (FMV, Form 5498)
Year-end is when Self-Directed IRA owners do the housekeeping that keeps an account compliant and the reporting clean. Alternative assets don’t have…
Solana in a Self-Directed IRA
You can hold Solana in a Self-Directed IRA, either as the token itself or through a spot ETF. I’ve been helping clients buy cryptocurrency with…
How to Buy Land with an IRA
One of the most common questions I get is whether you can buy land with an IRA. You can. A Self-Directed IRA can hold raw land, residential lots,…
Risks of Alternative Assets in an IRA
Alternative assets can add real diversification to a retirement account, but they come with risks that stocks and mutual funds mostly keep out of…
The Future of Alternative Investments in Retirement Accounts: 2027 Outlook
Alternative investments in retirement accounts spent 2026 moving from the margins of retirement planning to the center of the policy conversation.…
