Thinking to do the trust as an exit strategy, feed the proceeds thru a trust, annuity or some type of funds I can control, donate the remainder 10% to charity.

However, I see this almost as a pension or annuity for investors because after all capital is returned through a refinance, the investors still retain the same ownership so at this point, the investors have an infinite cash on cash return until we sell, which hopefully is not for a long time.

Take a look at this  - Plug some numbers into the Present value(PV) annuity calculator. 

Though I do not know what the insurance person needs it for, unless he still hopes to peddle something to me, but by now he should know I don't do annuities....

@Rupert GrantFollowing are the similarities and differences between the solo 401k and the self-directed IRA.The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k SimilaritiesBoth were created by congress for individuals to save for retirement;Both may be invested in alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals tax liens, promissory notes, private company shares, and stocks and mutual funds, to name a few;Both allow for Roth contributions;Both are subject to prohibited transaction rules;Both are subject to federal taxes at time of distribution;Both allow for checkbook control for placing alternative investments;Both may be invested in annuities;Both are protected from creditors;Both allow for nondeductible contributions; andBoth are prohibited from investing in assets listed under I.R.C. 408(m)The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k DifferencesIn order to open a solo 401k, self-employment, whether on a part-time or full-time basis, is required;To open a self-directed IRA, self-employment income is not required;In order to gain IRA checkbook control over the self-directed IRA funds, a limited liability company (checkbook IRA) must be utilized;The solo 401k allows for checkbook control from the onset;The solo 401k allows for personal loan known as a solo 401k loan;It is prohibited to borrow from your IRA;The Solo 401k may be invested in life insurance;The self-directed IRA may not be invested in life insurance;The solo 401k allow for high contribution amounts (for 2018, the solo 401k contribution limit is $55,000, whereas the self-directed IRA contribution limit is $5,500);The solo 401k business owner can serve as trustee of the solo 401k;The self-directed IRA participant/owner may not serve as trustee or custodian of her IRA; instead, a trust company or bank institution is required;When distributions commence from the solo 401k a mandatory 20% of federal taxes must be withheld from each distribution and submitted electronically to the IRS by the 15th of the month following the date of each distribution;Rollovers and/or transfers from IRAs or qualified plans (e.g., former employer 401k) to a solo 401k are not reported on Form 5498, but rather on Form 5500-EZ, but only if the air market value of the solo 401k exceeds $250K as of the end of the plan year (generally 12/31);When funds are rolled over or transferred from an IRA or 401k to a self-directed IRA, the amount deposited into the self-directed IRA is reported on Form 5498 by the receiving self-directed IRA custodian by May of the year following the rollover/transfer.Rollovers (provided the 60 day rollover window is satisfied) from an IRA to a Solo 401k or self-directed IRA are reported on lines 15a and 15b of Form 1040;Pre-tax IRA contributions on reported on line 32 of Form 1040;Pre-tax solo 401k contributions are reported on line 28 of Form 1040;Roth solo 401k funds are subject to RMDs;A Roth 401k may be transferred to a Roth IRA (Note that from a planning perspective, it may be advantageous to transfer Roth Solo 401k funds to a Roth IRA before turning age 70 ½ in order to escape the Roth RMD requirement applicable to Roth 401k contributions including Roth Solo 401k contributions and earnings.)

Take the money and invest in stocks, bonds or annuities?

As long as I continue to work at my current company until March 1st, 2019 when my company pension benefit will be mostly maxed out.1) 401K @ 6% nominal, 2.91% real in year 2035 would be ~ 1 Million nominal, 600K real.2) HSA with same returns as above but at 65 years old would be 25K nominal, 13K real.3) Pension schedule If I work at my current place of employment until March 1st, 2019 tentatively as follows - start withdrawals at age:a) 50 ~ $959.00  b) 55 ~ $1,316.00c) 60 ~  $1,880.00This would be a fixed index annuity, not inflation adjusted.  

Approach everybody and ask if they'd like to avoid a large capital gains tax bill, while also receiving a guaranteed check every month, just like an annuity!

It's an annuity that you get for breathing, until you stop breathing.

But the bottom line is they were using the D class assets as the base of their collateral or talking investors into buying them.. they raised a good amount of money through Alternative investment securities brokers mainly guys that rip people off selling high priced annuities..