Invest in what you believe in with
The Entrust Group's self-directed IRA services.

Only you can answer this question — it all depends on your unique situation and financial goals.

A self-directed IRA (SDIRA) might be right for you if you’re an experienced investor looking to diversify your retirement portfolio beyond traditional assets like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. It may be especially appealing if you’re interested in alternative investments like real estate, private equity, precious metals, or even cryptocurrency, as an SDIRA gives you the flexibility to invest in a wider range of assets.

However, SDIRAs require a more hands-on approach and greater responsibility since you’ll be making your own investment decisions. They also come with stricter IRS rules regarding prohibited transactions and disqualified persons, so careful compliance is crucial.

Ask yourself these key questions to decide if an SDIRA is a good fit:

• Are you seeking more control over your retirement investments?
• Are you comfortable managing and conducting due diligence on alternative investments?
• Do you have the time and knowledge to follow IRS regulations?
  

If you answer yes to these questions, an SDIRA could be a powerful tool for your financial strategy. If you’re unsure, consulting a financial advisor or an SDIRA expert may help clarify your decision.

A self-directed IRA (SDIRA) allows for a wide range of investments beyond traditional assets like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Here are some of the most popular investments allowed in an SDIRA:

• Real Estate: Residential or commercial properties, rental properties, land, and even offshore real estate.
• Private Equity: Investments in privately held companies, startups, or small businesses.
• Precious Metals: Certain gold, silver, platinum, and palladium coins and bars that meet IRS fineness standards.
• Private Lending: Lending funds through promissory notes or trust deeds, where the IRA acts as the lender.
• Tax Liens: Purchasing liens on properties that are delinquent on taxes.
• Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin and other digital currencies are increasingly becoming popular in SDIRAs.
• And dozens of others.

When managing a self-directed IRA (SDIRA), several key rules must be followed to maintain the tax-advantaged status of the account. Here are some of the primary guidelines:

• Prohibited Transactions: The IRS prohibits certain transactions between your SDIRA and “disqualified persons,” which include yourself, your spouse, parents, children, and other related individuals. These transactions include lending money, selling, or leasing property to these disqualified persons.
• No Personal Benefit: The assets in your SDIRA must be used solely for investment purposes, not for personal gain. For example, you cannot live in a property owned by your SDIRA or use it for vacation purposes.
• Investment Restrictions: While SDIRAs allow investment in a wide range of assets, certain assets are not permitted. Prohibited investments include life insurance contracts, collectibles like artwork, and certain metals that don’t meet IRS purity standards.
• Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT): If your SDIRA earns income from a business activity or through debt-financed investments, it may be subject to UBIT, even though the account is otherwise tax-advantaged.

• Transfer from Another IRA: You can transfer funds from an existing traditional, Roth, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA into your self-directed IRA. This is a direct transfer between custodians, and it does not trigger taxes or penalties.
• Rollover from a 401(k) or Similar Plan: If you have funds in a former employer’s retirement plan (such as a 401(k), 403(b), or 457 plan), you can roll over those funds into your SDIRA. This can be done as a direct rollover, where the funds move directly from the plan to the IRA, or as an indirect rollover, where the funds are sent to you first, and you must deposit them into the SDIRA within 60 days.
• New Contribution: You can make a contribution to your SDIRA from your personal funds, subject to annual contribution limits set by the IRS.

At Entrust, we have designed our fees to adapt to every type of investor. Whether you invest $20,000 or $2,000,000 in a self-directed account, our fees are scaled to match the complexity of administering your account and make sure you have quality service and access to SDIRAs at a reasonable price.

Here are our four main fee types:

• Account Establishment Fee: A one-time fee required to open your self-directed IRA account.
• Annual Recordkeeping Fee: This covers the ongoing work to keep your account in compliance, including IRS reporting, recordkeeping, and administrative services.
• Asset Purchase and Sale Fees: These are one-time fees for the paperwork and processing involved when you buy or sell an asset through your IRA.
• Transaction Fees: These one-time fees apply to specific transactions like issuing paper checks, processing stopped checks, or handling expedited requests.