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If you’re looking to invest your hard-earned money into a flexible retirement account, your options are pretty diverse. However, when it comes down to it, the self-directed IRA and Solo 401k are clearly the most powerful and feature-rich retirement accounts available.And while they have a lot of similarities, including: Contributions and taxes: You can make pre-tax and Roth (after tax) contributions to both accounts. Taxes are treated the same between both accounts. Alternative investments: Both offer various alternative investments such as real estate and precious metals. Protection: Both accounts offer invaluable protection from creditors. Checkbook control: Both allow for checkbook control ( but access to checkbook control differs). ...They also have a lot of differences, too. So, which retirement account is better? It all depends on your goals and preferences. However, one account clearly has the advantage. Let’s dig into 4 key features to see which retirement plan is superior: 1. Loans One of the most useful and significant differences between the Solo 401k and self-directed IRA is that with a Solo 401k you can take out a personal loan (with a self-directed IRA you cannot). This makes a Solo 401k a highly useful and flexible retirement vehicle, allowing for the ability to take out a loan when your business is in need or simply during a personal emergency, with the ability to then repay the loan on your terms. 2. Checkbook control Checkbook control, which refers to the trustee’s ability to write a check for certain investment, is a feature that allows the trustee to partake in additional unique investment options. By having checkbook control over your account, you can make investments more quickly, which is useful when investing in something such as real estate. Both the self-directed IRA and Solo 401k offer checkbook control, however, the Solo 401k offers checkbook control from the very beginning without any additional work while with a self-directed IRA you’re required to open an LLC (limited liability company) under the IRA, which involves extra time, energy, and paperwork. 3. Contribution limit The difference in contribution limits and options between the Solo 401k and self-directed IRA is big (and even that may be an understatement). Let’s start with contribution limits: Solo 401k: As of 2017, the Solo 401k allows contributions up to $54,000 and up to $60,000 if the participant is over 50. Self-directed IRA: Allows contribution limit of $5,500. For small business owners and solo entrepreneurs looking for a powerful retirement vehicle that can take them to financial freedom, the Solo 401k offers a high contribution limit and additional features that make it very attractive. 4. Investment options While many of the same investment options are available to both a Solo 401k and self-directed IRA, additional investment options such as real estate are much more accessible to those using a Solo 401k plan because of checkbook control and the ability to bypass custodian approval. In addition, the Solo 401k does offer some additional investment options, most notably the ability for the Solo 401k to be invested in life insurance. The choice is yours Choosing where to place your investment dollars can be tough, but if you do your homework, you’ll see that there are powerful retirement accounts out there, such as the Solo 401k, that give you not only greater flexibility but investing power. No matter what retirement account you choose, one thing is for certain– the sooner you start investing, the better. If you’re looking to invest your hard-earned money into a flexible retirement account, look for more info here: http://learn.maverick401k.com/.
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