Tag: IRA

Most asset class’s brokers and bankers invest your funds in like stocks, bonds; mutual funds are getting crushed with no immediate end in sight. The government is bailing out banks, broking houses, insurers and mutual funds with handfuls of cash to stop an even worse scenario happening. So what’s the answer? You basically have two choices, do nothing and hope for the best, or take some positive action and look for better returns from other asset class investments.

1. Roll your traditional Roth IRA to a self directed Roth IRA

Why bother doing this? Simply, because you can invest in more asset classes and have more control over investment opportunities. An employee wants to earn as big a wage as possible doing a decent days work, he is not an investment guru, and hasn’t time to be running around looking after investments, so why would he take this action? Again the answer is simple, because he can use specialized people in organizations structured to look after all the issues using a turnkey approach.

2. Get a better interest rate and ROI

Under normal circumstances investors could expect to receive 7 to 8% return on their IRA retirement plan. However, things aren’t normal at the moment and probably won’t be for a long time to come. Getting these kinds of returns is highly unlikely at the moment; in fact many are turning to cash for safety with even lower interest rate returns. There are real estate investment opportunities at the moment offering a far superior return on investment. We all know real estate hasn’t been immune from worldwide financial problems. However, there are some great turn key investments available where you can invest self directed Roth IRA money to get a better ROI.

3. Use Roth IRA tax incentive to gain greater ROI on capital to compound profits

Working a normal 9 to 5 job doesn’t offer regular employees much opportunity to create wealth. Retirement saving plans are great incentives to encourage people to be self financed retirees and not rely on government pensions. But, if you want to be financially independent in retirement you may have to broaden your investment scope. One successful way to create wealth faster is to grow your original capital with better profits from greater ROI. Then use this money to reinvest and try to do the same thing again, each time you do this the capital grows. The self directed Roth IRA tax incentives enable you to speed up increasing your wealth in the account by not having to pay tax on the profits when the funds are withdrawn provided you abide by the IRS rules.

In conclusion, the financial environment is difficult today compared to even twelve months ago; just about every asset class is giving poor results. A Roth IRA investment in real estate may be a viable option worth considering to help grow your retirement income. Seek advice from a trusted financial advisor, and then find a company that specializes in proven turnkey real estate solutions that can give you a better return on your money invested.

Whether you are an Obama fan or an Obama opponent, if he becomes the next President of the United States his policies will have an affect on the financial markets both domestically and internationally. He wants to bring change to the United States which by extension means world markets because we have such a huge economic foot print.

So, what do you need to think about with an Obama Presidency regarding how you structure your investment portfolios both taxable and 401(k)/IRA, etc.?

1.Taxes Matter: We dont yet know the details of how he will handle taxes on dividend income and capital gains. It is clear that at least some of the investing population will see an increase in taxes on those forms of investment returns. If you pay a 20% rate on capital gains that means you will have 20% less money being reinvested to grow and get the affect of compounding. Dividend rates could go up as high as 35% and that will really kill the benefit of dividend paying stocks. So, one can use tax free bonds for at least a portion of the fixed income portion of a portfolio. Second, you should make sure you are having your investment advisor use tax management in the investment and management of your portfolio. Tax managed passive mutual funds have an extremely low tax impact.
2.Capital Markets Work: There will be those gurus who will tell you they know which sectors or industries will boom under Obama and which will tank. Academic studies have shown over and over again that such attempts to combine stock picking with a market timing element almost never outperform the broad market (in fact they generally under perform) and when they do it is usually nothing more than luck and is thus not repeatable. Markets are essentially efficient and any attempt to regulate trade or change tax policy will end up being priced into the securities as soon as the information hits the wires.
3.Diversification is Key: The way to consistently win under an Obama Presidency is to hold very broadly diversified, global, low cost, asset class mutual funds. Diversification reduces uncertainty. If you hold a mutual fund of US securities with about 3500 stocks in it and one of them happens to be a Bear Stearns or Lehman Brothers, it will hardly make a blip in your portfolio as it goes out of existence. Dont be caught with concentrated position mutual funds or with individual securities. You will be carrying too much risk that you can diversify your way out of.
4.Risk and Return are Related: Exposure to meaningful risk factors in a diversified portfolio determines expected return. Over the long haul, stocks outperform bonds but not always; over the long haul small stocks outperform large stocks, but not always; over the long haul value stocks outperform growth stocks, but not always. Each of these outperformers has a greater volatility risk and a greater expected return.
5.Portfolio Structure Explains Performance: Asset allocation along size, value, and market exposure dimensions primarily determines the results of a broadly diversified portfolio. In other words, to increase the expected return of your portfolio under an Obama Presidency, own low cost, globally diversified asset class mutual funds that are over weighted to smaller and more value oriented stocks. If an all stock fund portfolio is too volatile for you, add some short term bond funds to damper the volatility.

Following academically sound investment principles will allow you to win the losers game during an Obama Presidency. Dont give in to the Wall Street marketing gurus who have proven their ability to separate you from your money, quickly and permanently.

As of last year, finance and retirement experts suggest that approximately 2% of the nations $3 trillion in IRA investment is stashed in real estate and other non-traditional investment vehicles. If you’re considering using your IRA savings to invest in real estate, there are some excellent reasons that you should choose Philippine Condotel Investment real estate to drive your retirement portfolio into high profit margins.

Beth Collingz, PLC Global Marketing Director for the Lancaster Brand of Condotels in the Philippines, said Investing in foreign real estate is neither as risky nor as tricky as a lot of people would have you believe. While land and housing prices in the U.S. have soared astronomically in the past decade, the world real estate market is a far different story. It’s still possible to buy a preconstruction Condotel suite at Lancaster The Atrium located in Metro Manila, Philippines, for less than $50,000.

Lancaster Manila Atrium Tower A, Shaw Boulevard, Metro Manila, Philippines is a “Full Service” Condominium Hotel [“Condotel”] offering Studio, One, Two and Three Bedroom Suites for sale. To be completed and ready for turnover from December 2010, the Lancaster Suites Manila Atrium Tower II will provide unit owners with premier residential condo units with the option of enrolling their units in the Lancaster Condotel Rental Pool and earn Rental Incomes [at current purchase levels] of some 12-16% ROI per annum as Owner Non-Residents when not using their units through Condotel Management and reciprocal arrangement with Lancaster Cebu Resort Residences. This makes Lancaster Suites one of the Hottest Investment Opportunities in the Philippines.

The beauty of holding property in the Philippines is the low cost of property taxes and maintenance. A $50,000 Condotel suite may set you back $200 in property taxes per year, and maintenance costs are similarly low. When you add in the tax-protected status of investments made in your IRA, and the 12-16% returns through rental income through the Condotel advantage, you have an incredible ROI on a purchase of Philippine Condotel investment real estate enthused Collingz.

What’s the downside about owning Philippine Condotel Investment real estate as an IRA investment? You cannot reside at your investment property as long as the IRA retirement account is titled as the owner of the property. The self directed IRA rules about benefiting personally from your IRA investments are strict – you are not allowed to make use of any property owned by your IRA, or you risk losing its tax-protected status and worse yet you could face penalties from the IRS. You can, however, rent out your IRA investment for steady income – putting the profits and cash flow into your IRA, or sell your Philippine Real Estate Investment for immediate profit, as long as those profits remain inside the IRA.

If you’re looking for an unusual and high earning investment for your IRA, then take a serious look at owning Philippine Condotel investment real estate. It can help kick your IRA earnings into high gear.

Global Life Management, Inc., PLC Internationals Marketing Partner based in the U.S recently announced its Self-Directed IRA Affiliate Program Available to US buyers of the Lancaster Brand of Condo Hotels in the Philippines.

With the impending slowdown of the U.S. housing market and failing pension plans, many investors are turning to using their IRAs to invest in overseas properties and earn tax-free or tax-deferred income. This creates an outstanding opportunity for by offering self-directed IRAs to invest in the Lancaster Suites Atrium Tower preconstruction units.

With preconstruction property appreciating at some 20-30% per annum not only does the Real Estate Appreciation look good but the rental income is in excess of what many IRA and Pension Plans offer for the same or similar investment.

Jeffrey Clarke, President of Global Life Management, a company specializing in Philippine businesses and investments, is now offering its affiliate program to interested clients based in the U.S, announced that We handle all the paperwork, answer any client questions and can even setup a LLC driven IRA with checkbook control all for a price $1,775 less expensive than our major competitors.

We’re finding clients, who previously were undecided, are now very interested in using a Self-Directed IRA to purchase a Condo Hotel unit. Not only can they qualify for the 20% discount, in many cases, but they are excited to learn they can earn rental income tax-free or tax-deferred, saving them tax dollars on capital gains; says Jeffrey.

Beth Collingz says that many new investors are looking to replace failed pension plans and other future saving schemes with a solid investment in Real Estate. Clients are looking for investments that will give them an income for retirement as an alternative to traditional private pension plans that have failed. Most company pension plans are insufficient as are Government Pensions. Bank rates for Savings accounts are at record lows. Savvy investors are now looking for a more solid investment with potential for monthly income. Condotels in the Philippines fit the bill

This potential, high rates of rental returns from Condotel Investments, currently from 12% up to 16% per annum, opens up a huge market not traditionally looked at by Real Estate Agents and Brokers whom all so often run around looking for normal residential profile buyers without looking at the by far bigger picture of investments, investing and retirement. “We’re here to help our clients, educating our clients and advising them of emerging investment opportunities. Self-Directed IRAs and the Lancaster Suites Atrium Condotels, fit this bill exactly; adds Jeffrey.

GLM is a global investment consulting company, specializing in educating its clients on emerging investment opportunities, metals, currencies and self-directed IRAs

The Perfect Retirement Investment

A perfect retirement investment would look something like this –
* You can’t lose money. Safety guaranteed.
* Your payouts can only go up. Never down. No matter what happens.

This retirement investment exists: variable annuities. Competition has made them better. Take a second look now, if you passed on them before.

There’s one type of variable annuity that has what you want. Don’t confuse it with the many other annuities out there. Here’s how it works –
* A state-regulated “Guaranty Fund” insures your money.
* $100K to $500K, depending on state.
* An insurance company guarantees your payouts.
* It must have the cash to pay you, by law.
* You get monthly payouts for the rest of your life, or until you withdraw your money.
* Your monthly payouts never go down.
* You can’t lose money.
* Your heirs get the balance, if you die before you get back what you put in.
* You can cash in your investment without penalty – typically after 8 years.

Insurance companies create annuities. You can buy from insurance companies, banks, brokers, insurance agents, and financial planners.
* Your retirement investment is made in a lump sum, or a series of payments over time.
* The annuity has a cash value which rises or falls with what it’s invested in, but
* You buy an annuity to get monthly payouts.
* Your monthly payout goes up if the annuity’s average cash value goes up over time.
* Some annuities offer a selection of “sub-accounts” like mutual funds. You can move your money among them.
* Your monthly payout can only go up with variable annuities. Never down.
* Payouts can last the rest of your life.
Safety from market volatility.

You can get monthly payouts right away. You can also defer payouts until sometime in the future.
* The longer payouts are deferred, the bigger they can get.
* Some companies grow your eventual payout as if the annuity’s cash value had grown at least 5% for each year you defer payouts,
* For example, if you buy an annuity for $100K, and a bear market drags the annuity’s cash value down to $80K the first year –
* Your eventual payout would still rise as if the annuity’s cash value had gone up 5% to $105K.
* This would happen every year, so long as you deferred payouts.
* If the annuity’s value rises to $110K the first year, your eventual payouts would reflect the 10% gain.
* If a 50-year old bought an annuity and deferred payouts until he was 60,
* His payouts would grow as if the annuity’s value had grown at least 50% (10 years X 5%), no matter what.

Things to Watch Out For

Sales Fees – Brokers and agents charge fees of 1% to 12% of your retirement investment. That’s huge. They’re paid by the insurance company, which is paid by you.
* Buy direct from “no load” insurance companies or from a financial planner to avoid sales fees.

Surrender Fees – Many annuities charge “surrender” fees if you withdraw more than a small part of your money before 8 years, on average. These fees can also be very high.
* “No load” companies usually don’t charge surrender fees.
* Big fees can crush your returns, so shop carefully.

Taxes – Annuities are taxed like IRAs.
* Payouts and withdrawals are regular income.
* Assets grow untaxed until they’re withdrawn.
* Withdrawals before you’re 59 get a 10% tax penalty.
* Don’t buy an annuity in an IRA.
* The IRA is already tax deferred, so you get no tax break for paying annuity fees.

Insurance Companies – The insurance company selling you the annuity must be solid.
* A.M. Best rates insurance companies.
* Find the A.M. Best books in the reference department of your library.
* Go with an A+ rating or better.

Inflation- Even with a variable annuity, your payout rises slowly with the average value of the annuity.
* Inflation can erode that income,
* So put only part of your retirement investments in an annuity.

Annuities are long-term investments.

They’re not made for fast trades.
* If you want guaranteed monthly payouts for life, variable annuities are a perfect retirement investment.
* You pay fees 1%+ above mutual funds to get this security.
* If you want tax-deferred capital gains, IRAs and 401Ks have lower fees.

Decide how much money you’ll need every month after retirement.
* Consider your Social Security, pensions, and any other retirement investment.
* With a variable annuity, you should be able to cover your basic expenses.

Don’t try for more with your annuity. Remember inflation risk.

I’ve described just variable annuities. There are many other kinds. Shop with care. Use advisers who work with several insurance companies.