Checkbook IRA-Self-Directed IRAs and Real Estate Investing Offers a Great Balance
Self-directed IRAs are often referred to as Checkbook IRAs because of the funds made available to an investor’s checking account. This freedom to use your IRA when you want is a great asset to converting a traditional IRA to a self-directed IRA. There is nearly 3.6 trillion dollars currently in self-directed IRAs nationwide.
That means that over half of the 6.8trillion that is currently invested in IRAs is being managed by those who want more than just high priced Wall Street investing. Talk to your trustee about the process involved in rolling over your traditional accounts into a self-directed account.
I guarantee it the benefits are considerably greater. You can use your IRA to invest in Real Estate, partnering your IRA with a non-recourse loan to provide the majority of the cost of a piece of commercial or residential Real Estate.
Imagine that: using your IRA to buy Real Estate, borrowing a portion of the buying price, and not being on the hook for the investment personally. The only potential loss that you as the investor will suffer is simply the initial down payment or investment. Ask your trustee about Real Estate IRAs.
The days of traditional investing are over. Wall Street ran the old-school ways of thinking into the ground. If you do not believe this to be a fact, just take a look at the past year to eighteen months and the freefall that the Dow took from over 14,000 points all the way down to just over 7,000. Now the Dow hovers and struggles to maintain a steady level above 10,000.
I recommend investing your self-directed IRA in Real Estate, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and even gold, but not just one of any of these investment vehicles. It is dangerous to simply overload your investment portfolio in just one of these, rather than to diversify.
Using your checkbook IRA to make purchases in both commercial and residential property not only means acquiring investment properties at the deepest discounted prices in decades, but it also means that you can generate cash flow while owning the property. That means real money in your pocket today, with a long-term appreciating asset securing you a wealthy IRA and retirement tomorrow.
Take advantage of the times, invest in yourself, invest in your research, and your dreams. Invest in real estate. Invest in a business. Be an investment pioneer; capitalize on the non-traditional investment paths the IRS has set up.
Paul R. Whitacre is a managing partner at WealthyIRA.com. Our vision is to teach others to invest their IRAs and 401(k)s in the deepest discounted Real Estate in decades. Check out more at our http://www.WealthyIRA.com blog and follow us on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/WealthyIRADistributed by http://www.ContentCrooner.com
Most of the services reviewed by this website are available or may be accessed from Australia (see 
February 24th, 2010 - 7:41 am
Nice article. As a real estate investor, I bring along private lenders who wish to move away from low interest CD’s and IRA’s and over to investing with their spare cash or self directed IRA’s. Rather than taking on the properties themselves with little or no experience, they can use my experience and make double digit returns on their money while I buy, rehab, and sell properties. A win-win.