Are you ready to begin saving for a more prosperous future? Truthfully, relatively few people begin saving for retirement knowing exactly what it is they are saving for, or how they should save in order to attain the best results. The trouble of saving for the future is further complicated when that person is self employed. As self owned businesses leaves all decision making up to the self. Normally this aspect of running a businesses is great: more control, more leverage, more take home. However options for retirement plans for self employed workers can become tricky fast.
One of the best options is an independent retirement account.
What is an independent retirement account?
Essentially, an IRA is a special savings account that comes complete with big tax breaks. As this account has large tax breaks and other saving incentives the amount of money that can be placed in it is limited by age group, by year, and by single deposit amount. The first thing a saver needs to know is that there are many rules to IRAs. While IRAs can be an incredibly viable way to save money and earn for the future, they come with many strings. The best way to maneuver around the restricting conditions of an IRA is to know what they are. This way as a saver you can save more and earn more from your savings. That’s right, you can earn from your IRA, and much more than interest rates if you follow rules to the T.
So what are some common IRA rules?
The first rule of IRAs are that savers must trust their money to someone else. Self directed IRAs, may be self directed but they are custodian chaperoned. IRA custodians are banking businesses or money management firms that have vowed to take fiduciary responsibility for your savings. This means that they will help you manage your money without seeking monetary benefits, aside form their contorted rates. This means that these custodians are actual custodians and are legally prohibited from turning your savings into investment capital.
One of the smartest ways to invest money from an IRA is to put it in real estate. investing in real estate does not see the original dollar value appreciate, a tactic which is against federal law, rather it simply buys land or property. This is called a self directed real estate IRA. Self directed real estate IRAs allow the saver to take money out of the savings in order to purchase property. Property can then be flipped or developed to add income.
Another great option for doing away with custodial limitations is to use a self directed checkbook IRA. A checkbook IRA, allows for the saver to use the IRA more like a checking account than the highly exclusive savings account that it is. This means fewer restrictions with greater risk. If you are a seasoned investor, this option can be the right one for you.
And those limits?
As you begin thinking about starting an IRA, know that for individuals under 50 the maximum amount that can be put into an IRA is $5,500. For those over 55? that ceiling is met at 6,500 per yearly contribution. Despite these limits there are 15 million active IRAs in the U.S. and that is due to the saving potential and customization power of self directed real estate IRAs and self managed IRAs. Get more on this here.