Roth or Traditional? For Alternative Investors, the Answer Isn’t What You’d Expect
Most retirement advice about Roth versus Traditional accounts boils down to a single question: do you think your tax rate will be higher now or later? It's a fair starting point. But if you invest in real estate, private notes, or other alternative assets inside a...
How To Avoid & Correct Common Payroll Tax Mistakes
Payroll administration can be challenging for small business owners — and mistakes can create problems for both employers and employees. Incorrect paychecks can frustrate employees and require time and resources to fix. Errors involving tax withholding, deposits or...
“I Didn’t Know I Could Do That”: The Most Surprising Things Our Clients Have Held in Their IRAs
There's a sentence we hear more than any other in this business. It comes over the phone, in webinars, at Meetup events, and it's always delivered in the same tone, somewhere between disbelief and delight: "Wait. I didn't know I could do that." It's the sound of...
Roth, Traditional, or Both? How Account Type Changes What Your Alternative Assets Are Worth to You
Two investors buy identical rental properties inside their self-directed IRAs. Same purchase price, same rents, same appreciation over the next twenty years. On paper, they made the exact same investment. But when it's time to actually use that money, their outcomes...
Educators May Be Able To Claim 2 Deductions For 2026 Classroom Expenses
Teachers and other educators often spend their own money on books, supplies, equipment and other classroom needs. For 2026, eligible educators may have two ways to deduct qualifying unreimbursed expenses. One deduction is available whether or not they itemize, and a...
Mark Your Calendar: The Fall Deadlines Every IRA Holder Should Know
Two weeks ago we talked about the quiet season, that stretch of late summer when nothing on your IRA is urgent and everything is easy to handle. Today's article is the companion piece: a look at what's coming, so the quiet season can do its job. Because here's the...
The Wealth You Don’t Spend: Thinking Generationally With a Self-Directed IRA
There's a question that changes how people invest, and it usually arrives sometime in their fifties or sixties, often unannounced: What is all of this actually for? For years, the answer was easy. The portfolio was for retirement, for security, for the version of...
Sometimes How Much Is In Tax-Deferred Retirement Accounts May Be Too Much
Contributing as much as possible to tax-deferred retirement accounts such as traditional 401(k)s and IRAs is a common recommendation. Contributions generally are pretax or deductible, and the power of tax-deferred compounding can help turbocharge growth. But some...
Beyond the Rental: Private Lending, Notes, and the Alternative Assets Investors Overlook
Ask most real estate investors what's inside their self-directed IRA and you'll usually hear about property. A rental house. A duplex. Maybe a small commercial building. And that makes sense, because property is the asset they know best. But here's a pattern we...
Why Your IRA Administrator Should Understand Taxes, Not Just Paperwork
Here's a question most people never think to ask when choosing a self-directed IRA administrator: does anyone at this firm actually understand taxes? It sounds almost silly. An IRA is a tax-advantaged account. Surely everyone in the industry understands the tax side,...