Tag Archives: Education Expenses

Self-Directed 401(k), Self-Directed Traditional IRAs

Using Self-Directed IRAs and 401(k)s to More Money Now and to Build Your Retirement Wealth for the Future

By H. Quincy Long

            Self-directed IRAs and 401(k) plans have been around for more than 25 years, but many people are just now becoming aware of how powerful this idea can be.  There are currently trillions of dollars in retirement plans.  Do you know how to unlock your own retirement funds as well as the retirement funds of those within your circle of influence for real estate related and other non-traditional investments?  Your knowledge of self-directed retirement plans can help make you money now as well as ensuring that you retire in style.

            Plans available for self-direction.  A lot of retirement wealth is in traditional IRAs and employer sponsored plans.  If you leave an employer, the funds in the employer plan can be moved into a self-directed traditional IRA.  This includes money rolled over from 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, 457 deferred compensation plans, and the federal thrift savings plan.  Self-employed people may have their own Individual 401(k) plan, which may even include the new Roth 401(k), no matter what their income level.  Other employer sponsored plans which can be self-directed are SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs.

            The king of all IRAs when it comes to building tax free wealth is the Roth IRA.  Even if you do not qualify for a Roth IRA due to income limitations currently, in 2010 the income limitation for conversions from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA will be eliminated.  At that point even the very wealthy will be entitled to have a Roth IRA.  This is a great planning opportunity.

            How does paying for your child’s education or your health care expenses with tax free income sound?  You can even self-direct a Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA) or a Health Savings Account (HSA), and as long as distributions are for qualified education or health care expenses they are TAX FREE FOREVER.  With an HSA you even get a tax deduction for putting the money in!

            Perhaps the best news of all is that you may combine your IRAs and other self-directed plans to make non-traditional investments.  Even better, you can invest your IRAs with other people’s IRAs or even non-IRA money of people you know.  The key element is that you must have your plans administered at a self-directed IRA company like Quest IRA, Inc.

            Make money now.  We have all heard that knowledge is power.  Your knowledge of self-directed retirement plans can translate into money in your pocket today.  How?  It’s easy!  While it is true that you may not derive a current benefit from your own IRA’s investments, this does not mean that you cannot benefit right now from Other People’s IRAs (OPI).  Simply become knowledgeable about self-directed plans by reading books and attending seminars or workshops, then spread the good news!

            Quest IRA, Inc has many seminars and workshops to help you and those whose IRAs you want to use to make money for yourself.  There are also numerous books on the market explaining the power of self-directed retirement plans, such as Hubert Bromma’s “Investing in Real Estate With Your IRA and 401(k)” which are selling quickly.  For more information on seminars and workshops in your area, visit the Quest IRA website at www.QuestIRA.com  Even if you don’t have a dime of retirement funds yourself, you can use your knowledge to:

            *          Borrow other people’s IRA money to do your deals today

            *          Sell real estate, notes or other non-traditional assets to people’s IRAs

*          Make others aware of an opportunity to invest in your business (always be aware of securities laws when raising money)

            Anytime you go to a gathering of people, there are most likely millions of dollars available for non-traditional investments in their retirement plans.  It is up to you to let people know about this powerful tool, and how they can take some or all of that anemic money and put it to work in a way that benefits both you and them.  You will look highly intelligent and will inspire confidence with your advanced knowledge.  You owe it to yourself to learn more today.  Quest IRA, Inc. can help.

            Invest your own IRA in what you know best.  With all your knowledge of self-directed IRAs, you will most likely want to invest your own retirement funds in non-traditional investments as well.  What investments do you know the most about?  Almost without exception, you can invest in what you know best with your own IRA.  The law contains very few investment restrictions for retirement plans, but most custodians refuse to allow IRAs to invest in non-traditional investments such as real estate simply because they are not set up to handle them.  Not true with Quest IRA, Inc.!

            Quest IRA, Inc. self-directed retirement plans are under the same laws as plans at any other custodian or administrator.  We are simply more flexible when it comes to administering non-traditional investments in your IRA or other self-directed plan.  Quest IRA, Inc. clients have used their retirement plans to purchase all of the following and much more:  real estate, both foreign and domestic, including debt leveraged real estate, real estate options, loans secured by real estate, unsecured loans, limited partnership interests, limited liability company shares, stock in non-publicly traded corporations, land trusts, factored invoices (including factored real estate commissions), tax lien certificates, foreclosure property, joint ventures, oil and gas interests and even race horse colts!  You are limited only by your imagination.

Ignorance may be bliss, but it will not make you wealthy.  Use your knowledge of self-directed IRAs to make money now, to help others build their retirement wealth as well as your own, and to retire in the style and comfort in which you would like to become accustomed.  Contact Quest IRA, Inc. today!

Self-Directed IRA & Qualified Plan Information

How the Richer Family Grows Richer

H. Quincy Long

Ira N. Richer, a 56 year old self-employed consultant, his wife, Hope Tobe Richer, Ira’s 51 year old stay at home wife, and their 17 year old son, Will B. Richer are interested in saving money in self-directed accounts at Quest IRA, Inc. How much money can they contribute based on Ira’s $30,000 net earnings from his consulting practice?

Roth and Traditional IRAs

Roth IRA – Anytime from January 1, 2008 through April 15, 2009, Ira and Hope can both contribute to a Roth IRA for 2008.Even though Hope does not earn wages, she can still contribute to a Roth IRA based on Ira’s income, assuming they are married filing jointly for federal tax purposes.Even if he doesn’t claim net earnings from self-employment of over $30,000, Ira can contribute $6,000 into each Roth for 2008 ($5,000 base contribution plus a $1,000 catch up contribution since they were both at least 50 years of age by December 31, 2008).Assuming their son Will has compensation of at least the amount of his contribution, he may also contribute $5,000 to his own Roth IRA for 2008.

Traditional IRA – Ira and Hope could have contributed the amounts described under the Roth IRA into Traditional IRAs, but their total contributions to both their Traditional IRAs and their Roth IRAs cannot exceed the annual contribution limit of $6,000 per person over the age of 50.In this case they elected to put the entire contribution into their Roth IRAs.If neither Ira nor Hope were covered by a retirement plan at work, their contributions to a Traditional IRA would be fully deductible, no matter how much income they earned.

Roth Conversion – If Ira or Hope has money in a Traditional IRA (including a SEP IRA), that money can be converted into a Roth IRA provided that their Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is $100,000 or less in the year they do the conversion.Any amount they convert is added to their taxable income for the year, but no penalties are assessed for doing a Roth conversion.Important Note:in 2010 the amount of modified adjusted gross income made by Ira and Hope will not affect their ability to do a Roth conversion.Also, they may split the taxes from the 2010 conversion and pay 50% in 2011 and 50% in 2012.For conversions in 2011 and after, taxes must be paid on the conversion income in the year the Traditional IRA was converted to the Roth.

Work Plans

Ira can also have an employer plan based on his self-employment consulting income.With any of the work plans discussed below, Ira must also cover any other employees under the plan.This may affect which of the plans he chooses for his business.We will assume that Ira has no employees.Having any of the work plans discussed below does not affect Ira’s or Hope’s ability to contribute to a Traditional or Roth IRA, but above certain income levels it will affect the deductibility of a Traditional IRA contribution.

SEP IRA – Ira can choose to have a SEP IRA plan into which he can contribute up to a maximum of 20% of his net earnings from self-employment, or 25% of his W-2 wages if he is paid through a company.Net earnings from self-employment are calculated for SEP IRA purposes by deducting one-half of his self-employment tax from his net profits as shown on Schedule C.The plan can be set up and funded at any time prior to Ira’s tax filing deadline, including extensions (ie. October 15, 2009 if Ira files for an extension).Since Ira’s net earnings from self-employment were $30,000 in our scenario, he can contribute up to $6,000 into his SEP IRA at Quest IRA, Inc. (the contribution limit would be $7,500 if Ira were paid W-2 wages from a company instead of reporting his income on Schedule C as self-employment income).If he wants to, in January of 2009 Ira can begin making contributions for 2009 to his SEP IRA.

SIMPLE IRA – Another alternative is for Ira to have a SIMPLE IRA for his consulting business.This type of plan is appropriate for those with lower income levels or for those who have employees and who don’t want to contribute an equal percent into their employees’ retirement plans as they do for themselves.Assuming he had the plan set up by October 1, 2008, Ira can contribute $10,500 of his net earnings from self-employment for 2008, plus an additional $2,500 catch up because he is over age 50 by December 31, 2008.The $13,000 is considered salary deferral and must be contributed by January 30, 2009.Ira can also contribute an additional $900 as an employer contribution by his tax filing deadline, including extensions (ie. October 15, 2009).For SIMPLE IRA purposes, net earnings from self-employment are calculated based on 92.35% of Ira’s net Schedule C income.Ira is considered both the employer and the employee since he is self-employed.The total 2008 SIMPLE IRA contribution is $13,000 in salary deferral and $900 in employer contribution for a total of $13,900.This is an improvement over what he can contribute to a SEP IRA at his income level, but at income levels above around $60,000 (or around $48,000 if under age 50) the SEP is more advantageous, absent other factors.

Profit Sharing/401(k) Plan – The plan into which Ira can put the most money is an Individual 401(k)/Profit Sharing plan.An Individual 401(k)/Profit Sharing plan must be set up by December 31, 2008 if Ira wants to contribute or defer compensation for 2008.In this plan Ira can defer $15,500 plus $5,000 catch up for 2008 out of his $30,000 net earnings from self-employment.Net earnings from self-employment is calculated for Individual 401(k)/Profit Sharing planpurposes by deducting one-half of his self-employment tax from his net profits as shown on Schedule C.In addition, Ira can contribute up to 20% of Ira’s net earnings or 25% of his wages if he is paid by a company into the plan, or $6,000.These contributions must be made by Ira’s tax filing deadline, including extensions.This means that for 2008, Ira can contribute $26,500 into his Individual 401(k) plan with only $30,000 in earned income!

Even better, starting in 2006, Ira’s salary deferral can be a Roth 401(k), which means that he will pay taxes on his salary deferral when he contributes, but will pay NO TAXES when the funds are distributed to him, provided they are qualified distributions.What an opportunity!Although Ira qualifies for a Roth IRA because of his income level, even if he makes too much money to qualify for a Roth IRA he can defer salary into a Roth 401(k).The employer contribution ($6,000 in Ira’s case) is pre-tax, so part of Ira’s withdrawals from the plan will be taxable and the portion relating to the Roth 401(k) will be tax free.

Additional Choices

Besides Traditional or Roth IRAs and an Individual 401(k) plan, SEP IRA or SIMPLE IRA for Ira’s consulting business, the Richer family can also have two other types of accounts.These are the Health Savings Account (HSA) and the Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA).Like the other accounts they have at Quest IRA, Inc., the HSA and the ESA can be self-directed.Neither of these types of accounts is directly related to how much money Ira earns, although above certain income levels Ira and Hope could not contribute to Will’s Coverdell Education Savings Account.

Health Savings Accounts – Ira and Hope can save on taxes for 2008 by opening a Health Savings Account, or HSA.In order to do this, they have to have a special type of insurance plan, called a High Deductible Health Plan, or HDHP.Just having a plan with a high deductible does not necessarily qualify you for an HSA.Assuming Ira and Hope have a family plan, they can contribute up to $5,800 for 2008 up until April 15, 2009.Because Ira is over 55 years old, he can add a $900 catch up contribution for 2008 in addition to the regular contribution.Ira and Hope can split the contribution into 2 separate accounts or put all of it into one account.Starting in 2007 contributions are no longer limited by the deductible amount, as they were in years past.Even if Ira and Hope have the minimum deductible of $2,200 for a family plan, they can contribute the maximum of $5,800 for the year plus the catch up contribution. Contributions to HSA accounts are tax deductible, and there is no tax on the distributions if the money is used for qualified medical expenses.This truly is the best of both worlds!

Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (formerly Education IRA) – Since Will is under age 18, Ira can put up to $2,000 into a Coverdell ESA for 2008.Ira will receive no deduction for the contribution, but any earnings which are withdrawn for qualified education expenses are tax free.Qualified education expenses include certain expenses for grade school and high school as well as for college.

Summary

For the tax year of 2008, here is the maximum amount of money that the Richer family can put into self-directed accounts at Quest IRA, Inc. :

Maximum Contribution

For Richer Family

Ira’s Roth IRA$6,000

Hope’s Roth IRA$6,000

Will’s Roth IRA$5,000

Ira’s Individual (k)$26,500

Ira’s HSA$6,700

Will’s ESA$2,000

Total$52,200

Assuming all distributions are qualified distributions, the earnings from the Roth IRAs, the Roth 401(k), the HSA and the ESA are tax free forever!This means that the Richers can get richer by investing as much as $46,200 tax free and the balance on a tax deferred basis.All of these accounts can invest in real estate, real estate options, promissory notes, both secured and unsecured, LLCs, limited partnerships, private stock and much more.They can invest individually or in combination with each other.To find out more about these accounts, contact your closest Quest IRA, Inc. office today!

Health Savings Accounts, Self-Directed Roth IRA, Self-Directed Traditional IRAs

How to Pay for Education Expenses With Tax-Free Dollars

Many people are under the mistaken impression that a Roth IRA is the only type of self-directed account from which tax free distributions can be taken.  However, distributions from Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) can be tax free if they are for qualified expenses.  In this article we will discuss the benefits of the Coverdell Education Savings Account and, more importantly, what investments you can make with a self-directed ESA.
Contributions.  Contributions to a Coverdell ESA may be made until the designated beneficiary reaches age 18, unless the beneficiary is a special needs beneficiary.  The maximum contribution is $2,000 per year per beneficiary (no matter how many different contributors or accounts) and may be made until the contributor’s tax filing deadline, not including extensions (for individuals, generally April 15 of the following year).  The contribution is not tax deductible, but distributions can be tax free, as discussed below.  Contributions may be made to both a Coverdell ESA and a Qualified Tuition Program (a 529 plan) in the same year for the same beneficiary without penalty.
To make a full contribution to a Coverdell ESA, the contributor must have Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) of less than $95,000 for a single individual or $190,000 for a married couple filing jointly.  Partial contributions may be made with MAGI as high as $110,000 for an individual and $220,000 for a married couple filing jointly.  Since there is no limit on who can contribute to a Coverdell ESA, if your MAGI is too high consider making a gift to an individual whose income is less than the limits, and they can make the contribution.  Organizations can make contributions to a Coverdell ESA without any limitation on income.

Tax Free Distributions.  The good news is that distributions from a Coverdell ESA for “qualified education expenses” are tax free.  Qualified education expenses are broadly defined and include qualified elementary and secondary education expenses (K-12) as well as qualified higher education expenses.

Qualified elementary and secondary education expenses can include tuition, fees, books, supplies, equipment, academic tutoring and special needs services for special needs beneficiaries.  If required or provided by the school, it can also include room and board, uniforms, transportation and supplementary items and services, including extended day programs.  Even the purchase of computer technology, equipment or internet access and related services are included if they are to be used by the beneficiary and the beneficiary’s family during any of the years the beneficiary is in elementary or secondary school.

Qualified higher education expenses include required expenses for tuition, fees, books, supplies and equipment and special needs services.  If the beneficiary is enrolled at least half-time, some room and board may qualify for tax free reimbursement.  Most interestingly, a Qualified Tuition Program (a 529 plan) can be considered a qualified education expense.  If you believe that contributing to a 529 plan is a good deal, then contributing that money with pre-tax dollars is a great deal!

One thing to be aware of is that the money must be distributed by the time the beneficiary reaches age 30.  If not previously distributed for qualified education expenses, distributions from the account may be both taxable and subject to a 10% additional tax.  Fortunately, if it looks like the money will not be used up or if the child does not attend an eligible educational institution, the money may be rolled over to a member of the beneficiary’s family who is under age 30.  For this purpose, the beneficiary’s family includes, among others, the beneficiary’s spouse, children, parents, brothers or sisters, aunts or uncles, and even first cousins.

Investment Opportunities.  Many people question why a Coverdell ESA is so beneficial when so little can be contributed to it.  For one thing, the gift of education is a major improvement over typical gifts given by relatives to children.  Over a long period of time, investing a Coverdell ESA in mutual funds or similar investments will certainly help towards paying for the beneficiary’s education.  However, clearly the best way to pay for your child’s education is through a self-directed Coverdell ESA.

With a self-directed Coverdell ESA, you choose your ESA’s investments.  Common investment choices for self-directed accounts of all types include real estate, both domestic and foreign, options, secured and unsecured notes, including first and second liens against real estate, C corporation stock, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, trusts and much more.

With the small contribution limits for Coverdell ESAs, you might wonder how these investments can be made.  Often these accounts are combined with other self-directed accounts, including Traditional, Roth, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Individual 401(k) plans, to make a single investment.  For example, I combined my daughters’ Coverdell ESAs with our Roth IRAs to fund a hard money loan with 2 points up front and 12% interest per year.

One client supercharged his daughter’s Coverdell ESA by placing a burned down house under contract in the ESA.  The contract price was for $5,500 and the earnest money deposit was $100.  Since the ESA was the buyer on the contract, the earnest money came from that account.  After depositing the contract with the title company, the client located another investor who specialized in rehabbing burned out houses.  The new investor agreed to pay $14,000 for the property.  At closing approximately one month later, the ESA received a check for $8,500 on its $100 investment.  That is an astounding 8,400% return in only one month!  How many people have done that well in the stock market or with a mutual fund?

But the story gets even better.  Shortly after closing, the client took a TAX FREE distribution of $3,315 to pay for his 10 year old daughter’s private school tuition.  Later that same year he took an additional $4,000 distribution.  Assuming a marginal tax rate of 28%, this means that the client saved more than $2,048 in taxes.  In effect, this is the same thing as achieving a 28% discount on his daughter’s private school tuition which he had to pay anyway!

The Coverdell ESA may be analogized to a Roth IRA, but for qualified education expenses only, in that you receive no tax deduction for contributing the money but qualified distributions are tax free forever.  Investing through a Coverdell ESA can significantly reduce the effective cost of your child or grandchild’s education.  As education costs continue to skyrocket, using the Coverdell ESA as part of your overall investment strategy can be a wise move.  With a self-directed ESA (or a self-directed IRA, 401(k) or HSA for that matter), you don’t have to “think outside the box” when it comes to your ESA’s investments.  You just have to realize that the investment box is much larger than you think!

H. Quincy Long is a Certified IRA Services Professional (CISP) and an attorney.  He is also President of Quest IRA, Inc., with offices in Houston Dallas, Texas.  He may be reached by email at Quincy@QuestIRA.com .  Nothing in this article is intended as tax, legal or investment advice.