All Forum Posts by: Brett Synicky
Brett Synicky has started 25 posts and replied 779 times.
Post: New to real estate looking for passive investment opportunities

- Solo 401k and SDIRA Consultant
- Orange, CA
- Posts 805
- Votes 436
Quote from @Steve Yount:
@Brett Synicky Thanks for providing these links. I probably did not make my situation clear as I am just starting to learn the lingo. I'm retired, and have rolled most of my 401K assets over to IRA's, but those IRA's are not performing. I'm going to ask my finance guys if any of them are setup as self-directed, but I doubt it. I'm not really interested in cash flow. I'm interested in capital appreciation. Can someone tell me what the options are for that?
Post: Self-Directed Solo 401k

- Solo 401k and SDIRA Consultant
- Orange, CA
- Posts 805
- Votes 436
Quote from @John Smith:
Quote from @Philip Barr:
I don't have specific recommendations for providers, but once you find one that lets you invest in real estate and related transactions, it is important to use an LLC to hold real estate. That will compartmentalize the liability stemming from that property and protect your retirement funds and other assets. It is important to use funds from the retirement plan to pay for the setup of that LLC to avoid prohibited transactions.
Note: This information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, financial, or investment advice. No attorney-client, fiduciary, or professional relationship is established through this communication.
Thanks Philip. If I am forming an LLC to be the lending entity, and the members of the LLC will be my Solo 401k Trust and a SMLCC I already own (since I do not have enough funds in my 401k alone to fund the loan), are you saying using personal funds to setup the new LLC and associated loan docs must be paid by the 401k?
1. When the LLC is funded all of the income and expenses must be maintained pro-rata according to the % from each party. The % ownership must be based solely on the money from each member and nothing else.
2. A federal partnership tax return will need to be filed.
3. Additional funds added to the LLC later must be maintained at the original ownership %.
4. You personally need to be able to make the investment without the IRA money otherwise the IRA has engaged in an enabling transaction which can result in prohibited transactions.
5. The penalties are steep for a prohibited transaction in an IRA (distribution of the entire IRA) so if you do this, limit the exposure by only having enough money in the IRA needed to make the investment
6. Multi-member IRA/LLC structures can be complicated. Seek legal counsel as to the proper structure and docs necessary to establish it.
7. Even if you're a member of this LLC, the same rules apply to anything this LLC owns regarding disqualified parties and prohibited transactions.
Post: New to real estate looking for passive investment opportunities

- Solo 401k and SDIRA Consultant
- Orange, CA
- Posts 805
- Votes 436
Quote from @Steve Yount:
Recently retired, looking to invest 401k assets outside of the public markets.
Basically two options. SDIRA or Solo 401k if you're self employed. Within them you can have checkbook control or go through the custodian for everything. Look at the two options and make the best decision based on your goals. Here's a couple articles about checkbook IRA and solo 401k. Educate yourself on disqualified parties and prohibited transactions. Couple articles below on those topics as well.
https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/2810/blog_posts/2...
https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/2810/21298-solo-4...
https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/2810/47960-disqua...
https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/2810/44738-prohib...
Post: SDIRA Prohibited Transactions and Self Dealing

- Solo 401k and SDIRA Consultant
- Orange, CA
- Posts 805
- Votes 436
Quote from @Eric Clance:
Thank you for your response. You seem to be quite the SDIRA expert. That's exactly what I was looking for. Please refer me to the tax codes that make any of these things a violation. Those are the answers I'm looking for: legal ones, not moral ones. All great deals should be based on what specific laws/rules pertain to that specific arrangement. Afterall, you wouldn't play baseball using the rules of football. Thank you in advance for pointing me towards the codes that make it a violation to do any of these things with a property my SDIRA does not own and with a person not considered disqualified.
4975. https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employ...
Post: SDIRA Prohibited Transactions and Self Dealing

- Solo 401k and SDIRA Consultant
- Orange, CA
- Posts 805
- Votes 436
Quote from @Eric Clance:
I'm interested in opinions regarding the tax laws of SDIRA's.
I'm considering loaning my fiancé $100k from my SDIRA so she can pay off the current short-term loan she used to purchase an investment property. This loan would be an 18-month, interest only, with ballon payment, promissory note secured by deed of trust on this investment property.
Because we are engaged but don't plan to actually get married, therefore not disqualified, I want to help her as much as possible with the property and finances. Will any of the below items I plan on doing be considered self-dealing or prohibited transactions?
1. Provide myself as "unpaid" labor for the renovation process.
2. Manage the purchase of materials for the renovation.
3. Upon renovation completion, give her my furniture to furnish the property as a short-term rental.
4. Help to clean the property between guests.
5. Spend nights together at the property.
6. I also plan to insist she stop making the interest payments since it's all our money anyway. Nor will I require her to make the ballon payment although the promissory note will stay in place indefinitely.
I know all of these would be self-dealing/prohibited transactions if my SDIRA had purchased the property, but it didn't. The only connection is that it's the security for the promissory note so that's where the confusion is. I've also heard reference to "sweetheart deals" not being allowed but I've only seen that in relation to the percent of interest charged on the loan. I will be charging a market rate although I won't be enforcing payment.
I know the violation penalties are stiff, so I definitely want to stay within the laws. That's why I'd like to find out what I can and can't do and I haven't been able to find any answers online for this type of transaction. The one thing that would make the answers simple is, does the IRS consider the SDIRA the owner of a property that is only the security on a promissory note? That would make all my concerns violations of tax laws.
Thanks for any input and especially if you can point me towards the specific tax code addressing a situation like this!
Post: Recommendations on Self Directed IRA's

- Solo 401k and SDIRA Consultant
- Orange, CA
- Posts 805
- Votes 436
Quote from @Brendan Connolly:
I'm looking at moving my 401K into a self directed IRA. I wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations on which company is the best to do this.
After calling around, Equity Trust seems like it offers the most benefits to it's customers by allowing for a wide range of investment opportunities and they definitely seemed to have the best customer service for the companies that I called.
They do seem to have some high fees though ($750 annually and $1,295 LLC setup if you want to use the funds for real estate). I'm ok with that if the customer service is good.
Does anyone have any recommendations for companies that you use for self directed IRA's that might be a better fit than Equity Trust?
There are a couple of different types of SDIRA's. One where you have checkbook control (aka checkbook IRA) and one where you have to go through the custodian for all transactions, and custodian is on title fbo your IRA. With checkbook IRA, a special purpose LLC is created that is wholly owned by your IRA, that you are the manager of which is what allows you to bypass the custodian when investing. Either of these types of setups can invest in real estate, so technically you don't need the LLC. Without it, going through the custodian for everything can cause delays, red tape, and additional fees but are generally less to set up than checkbook IRA since no LLC is needed and the company will make more over the long term with the higher ongoing fees. Either way works, just educate yourself on the differences before you pull the trigger.
Post: SDIRA Legal and/or Tax Professionals

- Solo 401k and SDIRA Consultant
- Orange, CA
- Posts 805
- Votes 436
Quote from @Eric Clance:
I'm looking for the most knowledgeable attorney or tax professional who would know if specific things would be considered self-dealing. Who do you recommend?
Thank you
@Ashish Acharya can probably help. Also, there are many people who specialize in self directed retirement accounts on this forum. Why don't you post the details here and let some chime in. For now you or anybody else reading this thread can see the basic details here: prohibited transactions and disqualified parties
Post: Using an IRA to purchase real estate using an LLC checking account

- Solo 401k and SDIRA Consultant
- Orange, CA
- Posts 805
- Votes 436
Quote from @Scott Suryan:
Is there anybody out there currently using their IRA to purchase real estate? I have talked to a couple of groups and they are similar in nature. Looking like I would need to create a checkbook LLC and use a non-recourse loan if I was not buying the property as an all cash transaction. Any knowledge that you think would be beneficial would be appreciated. Tips or tricks and examples when it was a good or bad move on your end. I have read the blogs on BP that were recommend and have a meeting scheduled with another company later today. Thanks in advance.
Post: Using an IRA to purchase real estate usingan LLC checking account

- Solo 401k and SDIRA Consultant
- Orange, CA
- Posts 805
- Votes 436
https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/2810/blog_posts/2...Quote from @Scott Suryan:
Is there anybody out there currently using their IRA to purchase real estate? I have talked to a couple of groups and they are similar in nature. Looking like I would need to create a checkbook LLC and use a non-recourse loan if I was not buying the property as an all cash transaction. Any knowledge that you think would be beneficial would be appreciated. Tips or tricks and examples when it was a good or bad move on your end. Thanks in advance.
Yes lots of posts on BP about this. Seymour info on how it works here: Checkbook IRA.
Post: Fairly New RE Investor Learning the Ropes

- Solo 401k and SDIRA Consultant
- Orange, CA
- Posts 805
- Votes 436
Quote from @Kate Bolia:
I’m relatively new to RE. I built a house in Bali, Indonesia that I put on the short term rental market and it’s been going well. It cash flows approx $2,500/month. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when I started. I just had a feeling it would be a good investment and jumped thru a bunch of hoops to make it happen. My research has lead me to a plan of holding onto it for approximately 5 years and then selling. I may re-invest in Bali at that point, it really just depends on how well I’ve done and what’s going on in the Bali market.
Now I'm looking to roll some money over from my IRA to a self directed Roth and start investing in some RE here in the states. I'm eager to learn, but want to get started right away, so I'm thinking of making a few investments with Spark Rental as a passive investor.
My boyfriend is a contractor and we have discussed doing a couple of flipping deals and/or doing long-term rentals here in the Atlanta area. I want to learn as much as I can about deals before we pull the trigger on something, so we make the best decision. I’m looking forward to connecting with some RE investors here in the Atlanta area, as well as the larger community, for knowledge and advice. In and ideal world, I’d love to find a mentor that I could assist in exchange for learning the ropes!
Thanks!
Well done what a great investment!
When it comes to self directing the two most popular vehicles are self directed IRA and Solo 401K. for real estate it's helpful to use a checkbook IRA for efficiency and some liability protection with the LLC.
Learn more about checkbook IRA here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/2810/blog_posts/2...
If you’re self employed with no full time employees the solo 401K is in many ways the “Ultimate Retirement Plan”
Learn more about solo 401K here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/2810/21298-solo-4...
Be aware of prohibited transactions and disqualified parties.