Does a Self Directed IRA Need a Custodian?
Self-directed IRAs allow investors to invest in alternative assets like real estate, private equity and mortgages without incurring unnecessary tax liability; however, there are specific rules you need to be aware of before using this investment vehicle.
Investors must double-check information contained within their account statements, including prices and asset valuations. Alternative investments tend to be difficult to value and this can make them vulnerable to fraudsters.
1. Fees
Self-directed IRA custodians charge transaction and processing fees beyond recordkeeping charges, such as recordkeeping. These may include fees charged for procuring financial information such as researching investments (for instance using Zillow reports or professionally-compiled CMA analyses on real estate), purchasing assets or selling them, as well as fees charged when purchasing or selling assets.
These fees can quickly add up over time for those investing in alternative assets like real estate, cryptocurrency and precious metals. When selecting a custodian it is crucial that research and comparison are performed when making this important decision.
Proponents of SDIRAs tout their ability to invest in more assets, including collectibles such as rare coins, baseball cards and art which may not be offered by traditional IRA firms. Unfortunately, however, this extra flexibility comes with increased fraud risk that necessitates due diligence on all investments being considered for investment in SDIRAs.
2. Access to Investments
Self-directed IRAs give you access to alternative investments such as real estate and precious metals (providing they meet purity standards), private placement securities and real estate investments. Because these types of investments pose additional risk, it’s vitally important that account statements for them contain accurate and up-to-date information.
Consider also that the IRS frowns upon buying and selling investment assets with those disqualified from your IRA or related to you, so be mindful of this limitation prior to opening a self-directed IRA.
3. Taxes
Self-directed IRAs may provide investors with greater investment options, but they can have serious tax ramifications that threaten your retirement savings. If you invest in real estate, for instance, unrelated business income (UBIT) from property taxes and mortgage interest may accrue to your IRA as unrelated business income (UBI). Furthermore, various fees such as account management/trading/maintenance storage insurance fees might incur.
IRS law mandates SDIRA custodians to report fair market values for alternative assets annually, providing fraudsters an opportunity to sell unwitting investors fraudulent investments. Therefore, it’s crucial that you conduct thorough research and consult a professional advisor when considering investing in collectibles such as alcoholic beverages, antiques or baseball cards – this step may prove especially vital if investing directly yourself.
4. Compliance
Self-directed IRAs are becoming increasingly popular, yet some firms that custodie them may not be properly regulated. Advisers must remain alert for red flags such as new investments with unreasonably high returns or no third-party audits to monitor.
Other alternative investments may be inflexible and hard to value due to long holding periods, redemption restrictions or limited markets. This presents another obstacle.
Verifying information contained within account statements, such as prices and asset values, should also be a top priority. To do this, independent valuations or price comparisons with similar assets on public marketplaces may be used as tools. Finally, it is crucial that prohibited transactions such as using retirement funds for personal purchases or lending money directly to yourself or a disqualified person be avoided at all costs.
5. Reporting
Custodians and administrators must report transactions to the IRS as required, and be familiar with regulations surrounding alternative investments like real estate, mortgage notes and private placements.
Investors must also be able to verify that an investment meets IRS guidelines for self-directed IRAs, so it may be necessary for them to reject Zillow reports in favor of professionally prepared comparable market analyses.
To avoid fraud, it is essential that you select a legitimate custodian. Banks and trust companies regulated by state authorities are valid IRA custodians; you may also find an extensive list of nonbank custodians on the IRS website; it would still be wise to conduct additional research before opening an account with one.
Categorised in: Blog