Alternative Investments

Discount Mortgage Notes

Invest in "discount notes" that are actively purchased from banks and other lenders and managed for you via a note brokering firm. Your funds are secured by a real estate mortgage, usually with a degree of safety such that home values would have to tumble more than 30% prior to any concern over principal.

Funds are illiquid; only available a couple times per year on average. On the other hand, historical returns for the firm we use are 15%-30% annually, though no rate of return is promised. To gain a better understanding of what they are and how they work read this report on mortgage note investing.

As part of a fund or pool, a very basic self directed account would be best. If you buy notes directly from the lenders yourself, a CompleteIRA plan would be a much better tool.

Currency Trading

Invest in the Global Currency Market. Currency investments can help protect you from US economic concerns and are, we believe, important for a diversified portfolio. Currency trading can be both very lucrative and very risky. An understanding of the trading firm and its audited history should be required before even considering investment with any group. There is at least one firm that uses collateralization by a third-party trust to reduce the risk of principal loss. They have target returns of 24-48% annually. There are also traders with decade long records of success to manage your funds.

Non-US denominated investments and currency holdings are THE area we see the wildest claims and the least understanding by the public. Several very reputable and skilled teams we work with would be happy to talk with you or your planner about your situation. Investigate this area further. It is worth putting in the time to both understand your options, and find the right platform for you. A basic self directed account is all that is needed.

Established Builders and Private Loans

Capitalize loans. Your funds are usually secured by a particular project, sometimes by multiple holdings. Durations vary widely, as do the terms, though fixed rates of 9%-15% annually are common, with several percentage points added to the loan at origination. Knowing the developer and researching each project is paramount to reducing risk to principal. If done correctly, this can be an excellent method of yielding above average "fixed income." Done incorrectly, well... remember what caused the whole credit crisis in the first place? A CompleteIRA plan will be much easier to use if this is something you plan to do more than once.

Gold or Silver

Buy the physical metals. They have never been easier to purchase within a retirement account. Investors who seek to own the metal (instead of a piece of paper that says they own the metal) are thrilled by the privacy and cost savings a CompleteIRA retirement account gives them. We have a perfectly legal and valid way for your retirement account's physical metals to be stored much closer to you, and much more privately, than some vault in New York or Texas.

Any serious gold investor should talk to us about the improved privacy and lower costs of ownership our approach offers. A basic self directed account is all that is needed to acquire the metal. For improved privacy qualities, a CompleteIRA plan is necessary.

Real Estate w/ High Rents, Short Sales, and Foreclosures

Purchase real estate for investment or resale. The current market has created excellent opportunities for people with cash available. You can leverage your IRA assets by financing the purchase. Properly done, $50,000 in retirement monies could control $150,000 to $700,000+ in property. This is the only way we've seen a $50,000 account become a $1,000,000 account in a matter of months.

Your time involvement can be as high or as low as you like depending on your Realtor and Loan Officer. We could make recommendations for either; or assist your current one. A CompleteIRA plan is required to achieve the control and improved taxation desired.

Tax Liens

Stable receipt of property taxes is vital to any state. State tax liens on the property can yield higher than what an investor could get for a bond of comparable risk. Research of the property is needed to prevent buying a $100,000 lien on a property that is only worth $50,000. The ability to evaluate these investments could certainly be considered easier and more straightforward than buying a mutual fund full of subprime mortgages. A CompleteIRA is nearly required to act quickly enough to handle this investment.

Life Insurance Settlement Pools

Did you know that all those policies that people around the globe let lapse often don't really lapse? There is a strong secondary market for these policies, and large companies and many investors in-the-know have been making sizable, fairly stable returns for years by investing in large pools of these policies.

They offer excellent diversification for the qualified investor, along with historical returns from 12%-17% (clearly it would vary pool to pool in a material way). We are very comfortable with several firms who offer these. Before (or after) looking around the net, contact us and we'll give you the names of several firms who will treat you well.

Private Placements or Stock on Margin

Invest in private placements. Invest using margin with stocks. Leveraging your choices in equity markets could not be easier if properly setup with an account from us, and difficult or impossible if not. We favor using options over margin as there are tax concerns (even in an IRA) if margin is utilized. Nonetheless, our approach gives you that freedom. Collateralized options funds (for principal protection) exist, as well as an endless stream of small, private, offerings to suite any sector, style, or risk profile. A basic acccount or a CompleteIRA can make the most sense depending on the how many of this type of investment you do.

Tenant-in-Common Property

Small or very large properties are available. You can receive stable cash flows that are currently similar to AAA bonds in payout, plus your portion of the appreciation (if any) when the holding period is complete. Total annualized returns are roughly 8%-13% historically, though no appreciation is promised in most cases. Interaction or monitoring of the property by the investor is usually none, and the rent payments through some providers are stabilized (reducing concern over the vacancy rate). Be careful to evaluate the property AND the provider as the return and safety (like in the bond market) is only as good as the collateral backing it. A basic account will work fine for most TIC offerings.

You have more opportunities to grow your retirement plan assets than you have ever been told. Through our network of clients, investors, and financial professionals we have the opportunity to see a wide range of prospects that are both safe and profitable.

We hope you find this list useful. Contact us by email or by phone, 888-595-7313, with any questions about a particular investment and we'll be happy to assist you or your planner in taking the next step.

Do not invest in anything without proper due diligence. Various investments may require different levels of research. CompleteIRA does not provide investment advice. In all cases - ask questions, and seek appropriate investment advice prior to investing. Please review our risk disclosure carefully.