Jan 20, 2026 | Blog, Tax Bites
The IRS is opening the filing season for 2025 individual income tax returns on January 26. This is about the same time as when the agency began accepting and processing 2024 tax year returns last year, despite IRS staffing having been significantly reduced since then....
Jan 19, 2026 | Blog, Self-Directed IRA Investing
January is when momentum and mistakes both start. The beginning of the year brings motivation. Investors are ready to act, deploy capital, and move deals forward after year end planning finally feels complete. Most early year issues are not caused by bad intent. They...
Jan 12, 2026 | Blog, Self-Directed IRA Investing
What Is Working Now and What Needs a Second Look From Rules to Real World Opportunity At this point, most self-directed investors understand the rules. They know what is permitted, what is prohibited, and how alternative assets fit inside an IRA. The question...
Jan 11, 2026 | Blog, Fair Market Valuations (FMV)
Fair Market Value reporting is straightforward once expectations are clear, but there are a few common mistakes that tend to come up year after year. The good news is that most of these issues are easily avoided with a bit of awareness and preparation. Using the...
Jan 11, 2026 | Blog, Fair Market Valuations (FMV)
Fair Market Value, often referred to as FMV, is the estimated value of an asset if it were sold in the open market under normal conditions. In simple terms, it reflects what a willing buyer would reasonably pay a willing seller at a given point in time. For...
Jan 11, 2026 | Blog, Fair Market Valuations (FMV)
Fair Market Value is more than an administrative requirement. It plays a meaningful role in how your self directed IRA is reported, monitored, and managed over time. Accurate FMV reporting helps ensure your account stays compliant and prevents avoidable issues as...
Jan 11, 2026 | Blog, Fair Market Valuations (FMV)
Fair Market Value must be updated once per year for self directed retirement accounts. Even though many alternative assets are long term or not frequently traded, the IRS still requires an annual snapshot of the account’s value. This yearly update ensures retirement...
Jan 11, 2026 | Blog, Fair Market Valuations (FMV)
Real estate is one of the most common assets held inside a self directed IRA, and it is also one of the most misunderstood when it comes to Fair Market Value. The goal of FMV reporting for real estate is not perfection. It is to provide a reasonable and supportable...
Jan 11, 2026 | Blog, Fair Market Valuations (FMV)
Private lending and promissory notes are popular investments inside self directed IRAs, but they often cause confusion when it comes time to report Fair Market Value. Unlike real estate or publicly traded assets, the value of a note is not always the same as the...
