I ran across a site advertised on Google today - www.coloradodeedsoftrust.com - run by a company called Fairpointe. This post is just my initial opinion from reviewing their web site. I haven't spoken with or met these people or anyone who has done business with them. Once I have I will post an … [Read more...] about Grading Promoters – Fairpointe… B
401k
Grading Promoters – Waterford Financial Group… F
As a follow up to "Where to find reliable information", I want to let you know about another seemingly unscrupulous self directed IRA/401k promoter... Waterford Financial Group (www.thetrueira.com). Again, I've never spoken with them or dealt with them in any way, but one visit to their web page is … [Read more...] about Grading Promoters – Waterford Financial Group… F
Financing a business with retirement funds
By far, one of the most luring propositions is Fund your dream business with your retirement fund "But, how?" you ask, "isn't it a prohibited transaction to invest your plan (IRA/401k) into something that involves myself as disqualified person?" Yes. As a general rule, it is prohibited for your … [Read more...] about Financing a business with retirement funds
Forced Appreciation
There's a questionnaire that I go through with my new customers over the phone, and in it I ask if forced appreciation is part of their investment strategy. Often I hear a response of "huh?" Forced appreciation belongs mostly to the world of commercial real estate. It's natural for the new real … [Read more...] about Forced Appreciation
What is the Plan Asset Rule?
The plan asset rule, among other things, is used to determine whether or not a retirement plan is involved in a prohibited transaction. A PT happens when a plan enters into a transaction with a disqualified person. In our previous post, we covered how to make a list of disqualified persons for a … [Read more...] about What is the Plan Asset Rule?
Prohibited Transaction Basics
The most notable difference between endeavors down the path of using a self directed IRA versus traditional investing is the unique rules that apply to the former. The extremely simple rule is that an IRA (specifically) cannot buy life insurance or collectibles (such as rugs, works of art, alcohol, … [Read more...] about Prohibited Transaction Basics
Trust Yourself
In a world where we see stories unfold such as: Enron WorldCom Tyco Subprime mortgage crisis Mutual fund mortgage overexposure and misreporting Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac accounting scandals Insolvency of Investment Bank Bear Stearns ...most Americans are running low on trust when it … [Read more...] about Trust Yourself
The Collapse of the Dollar & How to Profit From It
I just got done interviewing John Rubino, co-author of The Collapse of the Dollar - Make a Fortune by Investing in Gold & Other Hard Assets, and it was quite interesting. Rubino stated that: Over the last 7 years the stock market has dropped [as significantly] as it did during the Great … [Read more...] about The Collapse of the Dollar & How to Profit From It