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“Save your money. You’re going to need twice as much money in your old age as you think.” — Michael Caine

If you’re self-employed and trying to boost your retirement savings, Solo 401(k) plans are a potential option.

Solo 401(k) plans are qualified retirement plans for self-employed professionals and business owners with no employees other than a spouse. These plans have gained popularity because of investor-friendly features and higher contribution limits than traditional retirement accounts.

The biggest limitation on a Solo 401(k) plan is its eligibility criteria. You must have some sort of partial or full-time self-employment, and you can’t have any full-time employees — except your spouse — working in the business. Having such eligibility criteria rules it out for business owners with employees.

Solo 401k for Business Owners: What are the plan benefits?

For an owner-only business, it presents an option for ensuring your savings are sufficient to fund your retirement years.

Is a Solo 401(k) is right for you? Here are four reasons to consider Solo 401k for business owners.

1. High contribution limits

Unlike individual retirement accounts, which limit contributions to $5,500 (or $6,500 for those age 50 and older), you can contribute up to $54,000 to a Solo 401(k) account in 2017 ($60,000 for 50 and older).

Related article:  How to achieve financial independence with your small business

2. More investment options

Relying on the stock market for retirement, as many retirement plans do, may not sit well with investors who prefer to have more flexibility and freedom to choose different types of investments. With a specific kind of Solo 401(k) called a self-directed Solo 401(k), you can invest in alternative assets including real estate, tax deeds, tax liens, mortgage notes, private equity, personal lending, precious metals and even regular stock-bond investments. Make sure to ask your Solo 401(k) provider about the availability of these investment options upfront.

3. Roth, minus the income limits

According to the current IRS regulations, if you’re a single filer earning more than $132,000 in a calendar year, you’re not eligible for Roth IRA contributions. The phasing out starts at $117,000, limiting your options for after-tax contributions. A Roth Solo 401(k), which doesn’t have income limits, allows you to make annual after-tax contributions of up to $18,000, or $24,000 if you’re over 50, giving your money an opportunity to grow tax-free.

Related article:  How to choose a self-directed retirement plan for your future?

4. Ability to borrow

The IRS allows borrowing from a Solo 401(k) plan, just as it allows borrowing from 401(k) plans. This means no one can turn you down and you can spend the money the way you want. Just make sure you follow IRS rules about repayment to avoid taxes and penalties. And loans from a Solo 401(k) hold one advantage over loans from a regular 401(k). With a 401(k), if you leave your current employment, the loan will become due in full. That kind of job change is not a factor with a Solo 401(k) loan.

This article was originally published on NerdWallet.com

“The beauty of diversification is it's about as close as you can get to a free lunch in investing.” Barry Ritholtz

How do you feel about staking your entire future on the stock market? Risky, right! Who would do that? Surprisingly enough, a lot of investors are putting their money in the stock market directly or indirectly. If you rather invested in bonds to minimize the risk, you’re unlikely to gain the returns necessary to fund your retirement. That along with the changing federal interest rates makes bonds an unattractive investment option. So, how do you invest for retirement while minimizing your risk and still pocketing handsome returns? Investing in alternative assets with a self-directed IRA is an option to look into.

Why invest in alternative assets?

The alternative investment strategies have helped smart investors gain competitive returns over the years. Here are some reasons to add them to your portfolio:

• True diversification & security: Investing in alternative assets allows you to achieve true diversification. You can minimize your risk profile by choosing different alternative asset classes. Real estate, precious metals, mortgage notes, tax liens, private equity, and real estate investment trusts (REITs).
• Competitive returns: Unlike security bonds, you can earn better returns by investing in alternative assets. If you’re a realtor, imagine the sort of returns you can achieve by using your expertise and industry knowledge.

For an average investor, investing in alternative assets might pose some challenges, especially in choosing assets classes that can achieve your retirement goals. It’s best to seek professional help and make sound financial decisions.

What is a self-directed IRA?

Since you are investing for retirement, you’ll require a retirement tool that can invest in alternative assets with minimal custodial red tape around it.

Self-directed IRA comes into picture.

A self-directed IRA is a retirement solution that offers investment discretion/control to the plan owner. Depending upon your plan custodian, you can access most of the asset classes discussed above. Some of the popular self-directed retirement options include self-directed IRAs, Solo 401k plans, and 401k plans.

What are your investment options through a self-directed IRA?

• Real estate: The IRS allows real estate investing within retirement accounts. The trick is that it is not mandatory for financial institutions to offer it as an asset class. However, with a self-directed IRA, you can invest in real estate starting with residential, commercial, and third-party real estate LLC investments
• Private equity: If you have experience in business, you can use your retirement accounts to purchase private equity. While it is an exciting proposition, make sure to test the basics of the company and take professional advice.
• Mortgage notes/tax liens: If you’re looking for passive growth/returns, mortgage notes, and tax liens are the perfect additions to your portfolio. You don’t have to fret about property maintenance and utility bills.
• Precious metals: Gold and most of the precious metals are cyclical. They allow investors to hedge their investments against inflation, stock market movements and any financial fiasco.
• Stock, bonds, mutual funds: Self-directed IRAs allow you to put your money in traditional investment options, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. With a self-directed IRA, you as the account owner can initiate transactions without going through custodians. This also minimizes transaction costs and fees. In order to retire with sufficient money, create a balanced portfolio and restructure it routinely.

Who should choose self-directed retirement accounts?

The financial goals of every individual vary and so does their investing strategies. If you have a limited understanding of the investment realm, you may want to use a professional’s help. A self-directed IRA is good for you if you are:

• Ready to take control of your retirement account.
• Tired of having brokers handle your money.
• Wanting to diversify your investments
• Tired of paying high custodian fees and transaction costs.

It is your retirement at stake, so take your time and make the right choice!

Among the available retirement options, Solo 401(k) plans are worth considering, due to their relatively high contribution limits, flexible investments and the ability to make after-tax Roth contributions.

Here are some reasons self-employed business owners should consider Solo 401(k) plans.

Higher limits

Because the self-employed professional wears the dual hat of the employer as well as the employee of the business, the contribution limits for a Solo 401(k) include both employee deferral (up to $18,000 annually, plus up to $6,000 in catch-up contributions for those over 50) and profit-sharing employer contributions (up to 25% of business income, depending upon the structure or type of business).

Combining these two, the Solo 401(k) limits for 2016 are $53,000, plus a $6,000 catch-up contribution for professionals 50 or older for a total of $59,000.

Under an alternative retirement savings plan for business owners, the Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA, the contributions are limited to the lesser of 25% of the business income or $53,000 for 2016. The absence of elective salary deferrals or catch-up contributions restricts the overall contribution limits of a SEP-IRA when compared with a Solo 401(k) plan.

Here’s an example of how the Solo 401(k) leads to higher limits: Let’s say you had a business income of $100,000. With a Solo 401(k), you can make profit-sharing contributions of up to $25,000 along with employee-deferral contributions of $18,000, totaling $43,000. On the other hand, a SEP-IRA would allow you to make only a profit-sharing contribution of $25,000, hence limiting retirement savings.

Alternative investment options

A self-directed Solo 401(k) retirement plan offers alternative investments, including real estate, tax liens, tax deeds, mortgage notes, private equity, personal lending, precious metals, and the traditional stock or bond investments. These alternative investments help you diversify your portfolio while achieving competitive returns.

However, these investment vehicles and alternatives require an understanding of their core operating principles. Make sure to educate yourself before investing in them and, if necessary, get an expert opinion.

Tax-deferred growth

Like all 401(k) plans, with a Solo 401(k) plan your retirement savings enjoy tax-deferred growth. Thanks to compound interest and the steady rise of equities over time, this should be a solid investment. Compound interest is one of the key factors that decide the size of your retirement fund. In the purported words of Albert Einstein, “The strongest force in the universe is compound interest.”

Roth savings option

You can opt for the Roth feature in your self-directed Solo 401(k) retirement plan, which allows you to diversify your tax strategy with after-tax investments that will not be taxed when you withdraw your funds in retirement.

And unlike the regular Roth IRA, there are no income phaseout limits in a Roth Solo 401(k) plan. Under a Roth IRA, a single filer over 50 making less than $117,000 can contribute up to $6,500 in 2016 ($5,500 under 50), but as the salary grows, eligible contributions decrease proportionately. If you make $132,000 or more, you will be ineligible to contribute to a Roth IRA in 2016. A Roth Solo 401(k) has no such phaseout.

Last chance to set up a Solo 401k for 2016

If you want to benefit from the higher contribution limits of a Solo 401(k) plan in 2016, set up your retirement plan before Dec. 31, 2016. You can make actual contributions for 2016 until the regular tax-filing deadline, but an account has to be set up before the year’s end.

This article was originally published on NerdWallet.com

When it comes to retirement savings, we all do wish for the same amount of investment freedom that we usually get with our other investments. Traditionally, most of the financial institutions offer limited investment options, starting with stocks and bonds to mutual funds and CDs only. The last recession taught us one thing for sure i.e. not to invest your entire savings in the stock market. So, how do you achieve better control over your retirement savings? Checkbook IRA is the answer to these questions.

What is Checkbook IRA?

In simple terms, checkbook IRA is a self-directed IRA that offers unlimited investment freedom to the account owner. The owner doesn’t need custodian consent for making investment decisions, hence eliminating transaction delays and associated costs in the process.

Understanding the benefits of Checkbook IRA

• Checkbook control: Checkbook IRA is structured in a manner that puts you in charge of your retirement funds. You do not require custodial consent before making an investment. When investing your retirement funds, you can do so by either writing a check or direct wire transfers.
• Unlimited investment opportunities: Saving money in a self-directed IRA with checkbook control allows you to invest in any qualified investment class, starting with real estate, tax liens, tax deeds, mortgage notes, private lending, precious metals, and even private equity. You can achieve true diversification by investing funds in different asset classes.
• Tax-deferred growth: Being a qualified IRS plan, your Checkbook IRA will reap the benefits of tax-deferred growth. For an instance, if you hold rental properties in your account, the rental income will go directly into the retirement account and grow on a tax-deferred basis until retirement. Your investments will benefit from compounding over the next several years. You will pay taxes only at the time of distributions.
• Cost effective: The absence of a custodian can save money otherwise spent on transaction/processing charges while ensuring minimal transaction delays.

“It’s not how much money you make that makes you rich, it’s how you spend it.” —Charles Jaffe

With a little bit of research, you will find out that the same piece of wisdom has been coined time and again by several financial experts. While there are multiple factors that define as well as affect your financial wellness, we are going to target the most inescapable one – Taxation. When taken at its face value, taxation may appear as inevitable as possible or in the words of Benjamin Franklin, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

However, there are some legitimate ways to lower your taxable income, and put that money to work for your future. If you are an owner-only business or highly paid self-employed professional, these strategies could uplift your financial health drastically.

Self-directed Solo 401 k

Solo 401k retirement plans have gathered a huge following over the past couple of years and rightly so. When used efficiently, it could help you increase your retirement savings by up to ten times of the regular IRA contributions.

Self-directed Solo 401 k: What is it?

It is a qualified retirement plan for owner-only businesses and self-employed professionals.

What do you need to know about it?

Contribution limits: Up to $59,000 in 2016 (including catch-up contributions of $6,000 for individuals above 50 years old).

Investment options: Real estate, tax liens, tax deeds, precious metals, private equity, personal financing, and stock/bond investments.

Participant loan: Flexibility to borrow up to 50% of the account balance to a maximum borrowing limit of $50,000.

Four Ways to Cut Your Taxable Income With a Self-Directed Solo 401 k

1. Ten Times Higher Annual Contributions

With an annual contribution limit of up to $59,000, a Solo 401k retirement plan surpasses regular IRA contributions several times. Further, it comprises of two different contribution types, including salary deferral and profit-sharing contributions, allowing you to achieve maximum contributions quickly.

Salary deferral contribution allows you to contribute up to $18,000 in 2016 along with a catch-up contribution of $6,000 for professionals above 50 years.

Profit-sharing contribution allows you to contribute 20 to 25% of your business income to the plan. The total salary deferral and profit sharing contributions are up to $59,000.

2. Deferred Taxation on Capital Gains

Much like its other counterparts, a self-directed Solo 401 k enjoys deferred taxation, allowing your investments to maximize compounding interests. Considering the vast majority of investment options available under self-directed Solo 401k plans, you can boost your wealth generating potential.

The key is to make sure that your Solo 401k provider offers alternative investments. When you invest with a retirement plan, always target long-term gains over short-term growth.

3. Power of Roth Contributions

High-income professionals are often deprived of Roth saving options in regular IRAs but not in a Solo 401k plan. For self-employed professionals, a Roth Solo 401k plan allows after-tax contributions regardless of the income levels. You can contribute up to $24,000 towards your Roth Solo 401k in 2016.

One of the key benefits of establishing a Roth Solo 401k is its ability to offer tax-free earnings. That’s right; all the compound interest generated by your investments goes directly into your account. There are no taxes on qualified withdrawals

4. Purchase Real Estate Under Solo 401k Plan and Forget Rental Income Taxation

If you are a big fan of real estate investing, a Solo 401k plan could introduce you to an entirely new level of profits/returns. Here’s what you need to do.

Purchase a rental property with a positive cash flow through your self-directed Solo 401 k. It’s entirely the same process apart from the fact that your retirement plan will hold the title of the property and all the expenses/profits will go directly from/to the plan.

By doing so, you’ve created an effective income stream, while saving taxes on the rental income. Make sure to:

• Only use a non-recourse loan for the purchase if needed.
• Pay maintenance cost from the plan only.
• Direct rental income to the plan.

In conclusion, we can positively say that a self-directed Solo 401 k allows you to unlock multiple asset options along with a tax-deferred growth of your investments. It is one of the best ways to create a retirement plan that outlasts you.

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