Thinking of doing this as a “reset”, and then going forward in 2026, start doing some of the things (financially) I should have been doing.I want to max out Roth IRAs for my wife and I, contribute to 529s for the kids, and if there is excess money beyond that, go the brokerage route. 

I’ve had a few clients who’ve mirrored your move — shifting a portion of their capital from private syndications into REITs for that transparency, liquidity, and steady yield.Out of curiosity, are you also incorporating any tax strategies like REIT-specific ETFs in a Roth or self-directed IRA to maximize after-tax yield?

Other moves before year-end:Max out 401k/IRA/HSA contributions.

Likewise, the stock market over time has outperformed real estate, so IRA contributions might also make better sense.

So if I have to convert 400K from Solo 401 to a Roth IRA and lets say I did not make any income at all at the year of conversion, then I should be able to convert that whole 400K tax free into a Roth, right?

My original goal was to get set up with a self directed IRA, since I don't have a "proper" pension (got out of the military before I hit time in service for pension).  

I easily keep everything organized in excel without having to pay over $1000 per year for QuickBooks.I have one business bank account (for Non-IRA owned properties) but everything is categorized per property in Excel.My CPA says every year I am one of his most organized clients.

More info at these links:Disqualified PartiesProhibited TransactionsAlso with a checkbook IRA all the fees are flat.

@Andrew Reis Real estate investing is a long-term process, just like building up an IRA or 401k - often you have to be patient to get the results you want.I'd keep building your local network and looking for deals. - You might be able to find deals and get a finder's fee to turn them over to your network.

I have money from an IRA invested with them.