Some people we speak with have a particular investment in mind, others simply want to learn more about their options and what the possibilities are.  We receive calls from seasoned real estate investors and entrepreneurs, as well as from people new to the concept of managing their own investment decisions.  In the same day, we’ll help investors who want to hold rental real estate in Texas, purchase tax liens in Florida, open a franchise in New York or take an equity stake in a California start up.

As a result, we are constantly reminded that Self Directed IRA investing is not any one thing, but rather encompasses a broad range of retirement plan structures.  Finding the best plan for a particular investor’s needs is one of the most important services we provide as IRA advisors and facilitators.

Most all self directed IRA plans provide the investor with access to a wider range of possible investments than have traditionally been available from brokerage firms – such as real estate, stock of closely held companies, private loans or mortgage notes, tax liens, and a host of other options.

There are, however, distinct differences between plans held by an IRA custodian and those that provide the investor with Checkbook Control.  There are also self directed plans based on various retirement plans such as IRA’s, Roth IRA’s and 401(k) plans – each with different contribution rules and tax treatment.

The type of self directed investment plan best suited to one investor may not be the right vehicle for another – even when the asset class they want to invest in is similar.  Factors such as investment experience, risk tolerance, funding levels, asset protection, and contribution/distribution goals need to be considered.

At Safeguard Financial, we provide the widest variety of truly self directed retirement investment plans in the industry; including a Checkbook IRA, Real Estate IRA, Business Funding IRA and Solo 401(k).  All of the plans we offer give the investor “Checkbook Control” over investment funds and decisions.  Because we offer a choice of attorney-authored plans, we are uniquely qualified to help our clients find the investment platform that is the best tool for their particular needs and investment goals.

Many of the investors we speak with are well-suited to establish a self directed IRA plan with checkbook control, which affords ultimate control over retirement funds.  Other investors may be better served with a custodian-managed account.

So, what type of retirement investor should consider a Self-Directed IRA with checkbook control? Generally speaking, if you can answer one or more of the following questions in the affirmative, you may benefit from setting up one of Safeguard Financial’s Self Directed IRA plan structures.

1. Are you willing to become educated about, and involved in, investment opportunities outside the stock market?

2. Have you been successful with investing in non-traditional assets with personal funds?

3. Do you ever come across an investment opportunity that causes you to say to yourself “if I had the money, I wouldn’t hesitate to jump right in”?

4. Are you comfortable taking on the responsibility for managing your own investment account, with the help of competent professional advisors?

Remember…the “self” in Self Directed IRA means that YOU are the one that is both “in charge” and “responsible” for making investment decisions for your retirement funds.

When speaking with one of our advisors, you will quickly discover that we realize not all retirement investors (and not all investments) are “qualified” for a Self Directed IRA with “checkbook control”.  Unlike some other firms that may be inclined to “sell the plan they offer”, our focus is always to direct an investor towards the best plan for their needs – even if that means referring them elsewhere.

Contact us today to speak with an Advisor to determine whether a Safeguard Financial Self Directed IRA that will give you ultimate and final checkbook control over your own retirement funds is the best tool for you needs.

Safeguard Financial
877-229-9763
www.IRA123.com

2010 marks the implementation of changes to the Roth IRA rules included in the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (TIPRA).  These changes open up the door to Roth IRA conversions for investors who have been locked out of this tax free investment opportunity in the past.

Unlike Traditional IRAs, provisions for Roth IRAs include tax-free growth, tax-free distributions, and no required minimum distributions (RMD’s) for the owner of the retirement plan.

But, many investors have not been able to reap these rewards due to limits on income for contributing to a Roth IRA or converting Traditional IRA funds to Roth status.  In the past, if your adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeded $100,000 (single or married), you could not convert Traditional IRA funds to Roth treatment.

Beginning January 1, 2010, the existing AGI limitation on Roth conversions will no longer apply. Investors who convert in 2010 can spread the taxes over two years, 2011 and 2012, thereby receiving what amounts to an interest free loan from the IRS, to be repaid over a two-year period. Think of it as your own personal stimulus package.

Everyone’s situation is different, so don’t assume the Roth IRA or 2010 conversion opportunity is tailor-made for you. Sit down with your CPA, or with a good tax planner, and take a hard look at whether this might be the right move.

If you find you want to perform a Roth IRA conversion, be sure to check with us regarding how that Roth conversion will fit in with your self directed IRA investing goals.  Some self directed investment structures are more suited to Roth conversion than others.

While lack of planning could prevent you from being able to make a Roth IRA conversion, we have strategies that can help you maximize your ability to participate in a self directed Roth IRA with converted funds.

The bottom line is this… proper planning with good advice can multiply your potential for tax free retirement wealth building.  At Safeguard Financial, we have the knowledge and experience to assist you in evaluating your options and successfully integrating your Roth IRA and Self Directed IRA, Checkbook IRA or Real Estate IRA investment strategies.

Contact us today to learn more about how you can take advantage of a self directed Roth IRA.

Safeguard Financial
www.IRA123.com
877-229-9763

• The majority of publicly traded companies such as Coca Cola, UPS, Delta Airlines and many others, have frozen traditional pension plans.
• Employer matching contributions to 401(k) plans have been put “put on hold”.
• Retirement benefits are under attack now, and medical benefits (already greatly reduced) are the next target.
• Every man, woman and child in America now owes $186,717 in tax debt thanks to the Wizards of Wall Street (investment bankers) and U.S. government elected officials who definitely do not have your best interests at heart.
  

(According to Wikipedia, the U.S. government is committed under current law to mandatory payments for programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The GAO projects that payouts for these programs will significantly exceed tax revenues over the next 75 years. Net result: An Even Higher Tax Debt.)

Wake up America…time is NOT on your side, especially if you’re 40 years of age or older.

The economy is undergoing a fundamental change that signals less…not more prosperity. Most assuredly there is an increasing burden on individuals to shoulder more of the responsibility for their own financial future.

Younger, more mobile workers are being forced to build a retirement plan piecemeal, as they move more frequently from employer to employer. But, what about older workers who have just seen their retirement dreams blown to bits by the Wall Street investment banks? For many, there will be NO retirement.

And, the stock market WILL NOT recover fast enough for you to make up for all those losses. The Baby Boomer generation just became the Yo Yo generation (You’re On Your Own).

However, DO NOT DESPAIR. You have options. You can pull your retirement funds out of Wall Street (stocks, bonds and mutual funds) and move into an account that will allow you to invest in Main Street. In other words, invest into what you know by setting up a Self Directed IRA or 401(k) plan.

You’ll be able to invest in Commercial, Residential or International Real Estate,  Mortgages, Notes or Tax Liens. Or, you can invest in the Stock of a Private Company, buy a Franchise, or start a Business. And, there are many more options allowed by the IRS code.

Making the right investment choices will be the challenge. But, it’s a challenge worth pursuing because NOBODY is looking out for YOU.  You’re the only one who can do anything about your dilemma. So, get engaged now.

We’ll help you to navigate these very difficult and challenging times by helping you set up a Self Directed IRA, Checkbook IRA, Real Estate IRA, Solo 401(k) or Business Funding IRA.

The time to take control of your own retirement investing is now.  Contact us today to get started.

Safeguard Financial
www.IRA123.com
877-229-9763

The effects of the current economic crisis have touched everyone. Even if you still have a good job and a paid up mortgage, chances are your monthly 401(k) statement will remind you that you’ve lost a good chunk of your savings.

Trillions of dollars have evaporated from those accounts that have become the prime source of retirement funds for a majority of American workers, affecting their psyche and their future. If you are still young enough, there’s time to rebuild and recover, but if you are in your 50s, 60s or beyond the consequences can be dire, and its drawing attention to the shortcomings of a retirement system that has jeopardized the financial security of tens of millions of people.

So, who’s to blame? Is it really the retirement system?

NO…absolutely not. 401(k) and IRA plans are not the problem. They are simply “baskets” that can hold whatever investment you choose…tax-deferred or tax-free, until retirement age. (You have probably seen the depiction of retirement funds…”nest eggs”, in a basket.)

The real blame goes to…guess who?  Wall Street and Uncle Sam. What a surprise!

Unfortunately, the investigative piece from 60 Minutes doesn’t drill down far enough to uncover the truth.

The story never points out that according to a Congressional Act passed in 1974 (ERISA – Employee Retirement Income Security Act), you can invest retirement funds into anything except life insurance contracts and collectibles.

In other words, with your “basket”, you could be investing in real estate, tax liens, mortgages and notes, precious metals, equipment leasing, businesses and much, much more.

The 60 Minutes report focuses only on investing in securities (stocks, bonds and mutual funds). Why is that? Actually it’s quite easy to understand…just follow the money.

Ever since ERISA went into effect, the “Wizards of Wall Street” have been relentless in their pursuit of those trillions of investment dollars. And, they have done a tremendous job of convincing people that the only choices they had for retirement investing was into their products. And, to top it off, Uncle Sam hasn’t done one single thing to correct the misconception.

Employers are also generally unaware of what ERISA really says, and what investment choices are available.  They too, have trusted the plan administrators who have operated in concert with Wall Street to limit choices to mostly mutual funds.  So, in reality, employers have given their employees no choice at all.

After reading the entire 60 Minutes report, it will be abundantly clear that YOU…THE INVESTOR have always been on the short end of the stick.  No one is watching out for your best interests. And, the rules of the game have always been slanted in favor of those who would seek to make as much money off your retirement funds as they possibly could.

The “smarter than everyone else” brokers and bankers knew that by creating a very complex investment system, you would be overwhelmed and simply defer to their “better judgment”. And, we all know that the “Wizards of Wall Street” really do know how to confuse and deceive people…even themselves and the ones who were supposed to be regulating them.

Isn’t it time for a good, old fashioned, one-person revolt?

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR OWN RETIREMENT FUTURE…RIGHT NOW!

It’s not too late.  There are many, many ways to invest your retirement funds that can produce excellent returns.

It won’t be easy, but do you really want to work until you’re 75 years old?

This is a SHOCKING REPORT and you are urged to read every word of it.

Read the 60 Minutes Report (Click Here). Then, contact us to learn more about what investments you might choose for a Safeguard Financial Self Directed IRA that will give you ultimate and final checkbook control over your own retirement funds.

Safeguard Financial
877-229-9763
irainfo@IRA123.com
www.IRA123.com

Simply stated: If you can find a lower price for a comparable IRS compliant Checkbook IRA, Real Estate IRA, Business IRA or Solo 401(k), we will beat that price by $100.

About five years ago, when the “Self Directed” industry began to emerge, some companies promoted the idea that establishing a Self Directed IRA with checkbook control is akin to alchemy, and they alone could do it correctly.  Why?  So you would be willing to pay extraordinarily high prices for their services.

For the record, there are no “inventors” of these types of programs,  bigger does not necessarily mean better (just more expensive), and those “industry associations” you might come across are strictly marketing efforts of individual companies.

At Safeguard Financial, we’ve taken a different approach with the focus being on delivering the best value to the investor.

The truth is that setting up a Self Directed IRA plan (Checkbook IRA, Real Estate IRA, Solo 401k or Business Funding IRA), while involving many interrelated steps, is a relatively straightforward process…as long as it’s handled by competent professionals.

Make no mistake about it, you must follow IRS and Department of Labor rules and guidelines (exactly) or risk the loss of tax advantaged status, resulting in penalties and taxes.  As long as you establish your self directed IRA the right way, with an expert Attorney specializing in ERISA and tax law, you’re good to go.

Using your Self Directed IRA properly is also important.  To that end, our clients receive ongoing consultations, not just for 60 days or 6 months… but for life.

When you add it all up: quality plans authored by an expert attorney, prompt service with plan setup in under 30 days, and no-cost ongoing consulting – all at the GUARANTEED lowest possible cost…. Safeguard Financial is clearly the best value for Self Directed IRA investors.

Contact:
Safeguard Financial
www.IRA123.com
877-229-9763

According to Stephen Leeb, PhD and Editor of The Complete Investor, you can “forget bonds, your CDs and your blue-chip safe harbors. They will stumble and fall in the last days of the Industrial Age”. (Obviously, Leeb is looking even longer term.)

Leeb goes on to say, “The tables on Wall Street have turned. But, investors are still playing the old game. They’re still pinning their hopes on the next Microsofts and the next Googles, hoping beyond hope for the next generation of super-stocks to bail them out.”

“As you’ll soon see the new game on Wall Street will be vastly different from any that most investors today will be familiar with. It will be more like the’70s, where oil shocks, commodity crunches, and spiraling inflation almost ruptured the very fabric of American society”, Leeb adds.

What’s his point? There are “New Rules of the Game”. Successful retirement investing potential lies not on Wall Street, but on Main Street. And, your success will be entirely dependent upon your ability to control your own wealth building future by investing in what you know…not what you think someone else knows.

Traditional retirement investing dictates mostly investing in stocks, bonds and mutual funds. But, Self Directed IRA investing (utilizing a Checkbook IRA, Real Estate IRA, Solo 401k or a Business Funding IRA) opens up a whole new world of options.

Alternative investment options include Secured & Unsecured Notes, Tax Liens & Deeds, Judgments & Structured Settlements, Accounts Receivable Factoring, Commercial Paper, Equipment Leasing, Private Company Stock…and much more.

Non-traditional asset investing can provide terrific growth potential. That is, if you’ve done your homework. So, don’t hold back. Find something that interests you and become an expert. Then, go out and put that knowledge to good use.

For more information, contact Safeguard Financial at 877-229-9763 or go to the website at www.IRA123.com.

As the credit crisis continues, small business owners are finding it more and more difficult to obtain business funding they need to either sustain or to start up operations. Utilizing a Self Directed IRA, may well be the “best” solution for funding a Franchise.

A recent article entitled “5 Unconventional Ways to Fund Your Franchise” by Jeff Elgin, CEO of FranChoice Inc. was posted on Entrepreneur.com.

Mr. Elgin’s article is focused on the fact that “the credit crisis has made funding a new franchise much more difficult.” However, he points out that “solutions exist, but they often require some out-of-the-box thinking and aggressive efforts on everyone’s part.”

Among the assets and resources not often considered (non-traditional) are the following:

Direct financing: franchise companies now provide direct financing to their franchisees, if a franchisor is financially strong enough to provide such a program.

Third-party lenders: franchise companies have arranged indirect financing or leasing programs for their franchisees with third-party lending vendors.

Angel investors: these sources are individual or corporate investors looking for upside potential to increase their returns.

Low-cost franchises: franchises available with a lower initial investment than the typical retail or fixed-location startup, mostly home-based or service businesses.

Savings: prospective franchisees are accessing their retirement plan dollars to invest in their franchise. This strategy uses a Self Directed IRA and requires specialists who can assist you in setting up this type of program and make sure it’s done properly.

This last funding strategy (using retirement savings) offers some excellent advantages:

- An all-cash purchase of a business eliminates the need for debt financing
- Funds can be used as a down payment to secure additional financing
- Profits enjoy tax-advantaged status by being directed back to your 401k
- As an owner of the business, you may draw a salary and receive benefits
- Family members may be employed by the company and draw salaries

To find out more about using a Self Directed IRA for Franchise or Business Funding, call Safeguard Financial at 877-229-9763, or click here Business Funding Plan.

Recently, FoxBusiness.com published an article on their financial website entitled “Small Business Want Some Bailout Action, Too”. No surprise here, especially since small business is the backbone of the economy and is need of help just as much as Wall Street financial firms, banks, auto makers and other institutions.

TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) has become a very familiar acronym to most of us by now. The intent was to bail out, or jump start, the credit markets and financial system by pouring a ton of money into banks’ balance sheets.

Of course the irony is that TARP was supposed to have “thawed out” the credit markets so that small businesses could continue to operate. But that’s not been the case. In fact, small business is really taking it on the chin.

Hopefully, small business will get some relief from Uncle Sam, but in the meantime there is a way for existing businesses and start up businesses to tap into a source of Business Funding that doesn’t require the assistance of U.S. taxpayers or traditional financial institutions.

It is estimated that between $12 an $15 trillion is currently invested in IRA accounts. If only about half ($6 to $7 trillion) was moved into Self Directed IRA accounts, millions of jobs could be created without government intervention.

All it requires is that traditional retirement plans be reformatted into “Self Directed IRA” plans that allow the funds to be used in “non-traditional” types of investment.

According to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974, this is a completely legitimate strategy (see IRS Code Sec. 401 IRC 408(a) (3)). It states only two types of investments are excluded under ERISA and IRS Codes: Life Insurance Contracts and Collectibles (works of art, rugs, jewelry, etc.)

This Business Funding option could be your best option…even if you have other sources of funds. Think about the possibilities…you can operate the business, draw a salary and contribute to your retirement plan with profits from the business.

The advantages are tremendous, especially in these difficult economic times. Even if you don’t have enough funds (or any at all) in your own retirement plan, you could still partner with family members and others who have retirement plans to provide the needing funding.

It’s an option worth checking out. Click HERE for more information or call Safeguard Financial at 877-229-9763.