IRA Investing: How Do I Find Alternative Assets?

Patricia McCrystal

August 17th, 2015

If you’ve decided to take the reigns of your retirement account by self-directing your IRA, you more than likely already have an alternative asset market in mind for your investments. However, if you’re ready to try your hand at a new market in which you have little knowledge or experience, it can be daunting to figure out how to shop for assets.

Below are some starting points to help you in your search for alternative assets for your IRA. You can always utilize your existing financial team, such as a CPA or financial planner, to receive advice about potential asset markets to pursue. Feel free to call New Direction IRA with any questions or for more information about your IRA’s investment options.

Precious Metals: Many investors who use their IRA funds to invest in precious metals are already seasoned coin/precious metals collectors. As such, prior experience in gold or silver can make investing your IRA account in precious metals a fairly familiar  process. You are free to use your IRA savings to purchase metals from any dealer that you may have a pre-existing relationship with. If you’re new to precious metals investing, you can shop online for dealers with the best prices. Because your IRA can only purchase bullion products, you may find it relatively easy to compare the over spot price for each dealer.

Real Estate: IRA account holders who already have experience investing in real estate can utilize their IRA funds to continue their investment ventures. You are free to use existing real estate professionals that you have used in the past to scope out new investment opportunities for your IRA. Like precious metals, you can shop online to buy real estate with your IRA.

Most real estate investors understand that you have to know people in the local market to find investing opportunities. There are typically real estate investor clubs in every big town; at which real estate professionals can provide you with information about local property for sale and can mentor you in the ways of savvy real estate investing. These real estate investor clubs are a low-cost or no-cost way to receive information for your IRA real estate investments. These clubs allow you to choose your role and level of involvement in your local real estate investing market.

Private Lending: Finding a private lending opportunity for your IRA is principally reliant on your personal knowledge of borrowers in the market for a loan. You can originate a loan for your IRA funds, or you can purchase an existing loan, usually at a discount. There are online markets for peer-to-peer lending, peer-to-business lending, and more. Some investors utilize a loan broker to partner their IRA money with a borrower.

You may find real estate borrowers through a real estate professional, or via online venues. You can also attend local real estate networking groups to scope out private real estate lending opportunities.

Private Equity: Private equity is the most individualized asset in which you can invest IRA funds. Finding private equity opportunities is largely dependent on your personal knowledge of promising new startup companies, or companies looking for capital to fund new products. You can take advantage of your connections and experience to identify auspicious private equity investments.

Although the asset types above are some of the most popular choices of our clients, they are far from exhaustive. Call New Direction toll-free today at 877-742-1270 to find out about the nearly endless list of investment choices you have with your self-directed IRA. Visit our website to access industry-best educational resources and learn more about the freedom and control granted with a self-directed IRA. Happy investing!

Freedom and Control in a Gold IRA

Patricia McCrystal

July 28, 2015

One of the championing benefits of a self-directed IRA is the freedom and power granted to clients to take the reigns of their retirement savings. A self-directed IRA allows clients to make investment choices that best serve their individual retirement goals and market expertise. A principal facet of this freedom is the ability to invest in alternative assets outside of the publicly traded securities market; including investing in a gold IRA or silver IRA.

When you invest in precious metals with a retirement account at New Direction, we take the freedom of a self-directed IRA a step further by allowing our clients to choose their own preferred qualified precious metals dealers. Many self-directed IRA administrators allow their clients to work with less than a handful of metals dealers and depositories. At New Direction, we’ve worked with more than 65 different dealers this year alone, all at the client’s direction. Additionally, clients who have preexisting relationships with dealers or depositories can request that New Direction work with those specific businesses to carry out transactions with their gold IRA.

New Direction clients can select between 15 depositories to store their precious metals investments; a number that keeps growing every year. The ability to shop a large selection of metals dealers and depositories allows our clients to choose a business that best suits their price range and service preferences for their gold IRA.

When metals dealers work with New Direction, they can access a specially designed portal that shows a list of their clients, a client’s progress within the transaction process, and a client’s transaction history. We can also tailor this portal to meet any dealer’s specific needs. This degree of specification benefits both dealers and New Direction clients alike, as it ensures thorough communication between the client, the IRA administrator, and the metals dealer.

An outstanding feature that sets New Direction apart is our in-house Precious Metals Asset Team (PMAT). This team is made up of gold IRA specialists who can guide our clients through the entire investment process and expertly answer questions regarding establishing, funding, and investing in precious metals IRAs. Available Monday through Friday, 8 am – 5 pm MST, this team ensures that clients, metals dealers, and depositories have a dedicated representative to contact about any questions or transaction requests. The PMAT team will also assist with gold IRA or silver IRA transfers between IRA accounts. To reach New Direction’s PMAT team, dial (877) 742-1270, ext.185.

Self-directed IRA account holders want flexibility and diversity in their retirement portfolios. New direction IRA offers both. Contact New Direction IRA today at 877-742-1270 (toll free), and take advantage of the freedom and control granted through a precious metals IRA with New Direction.