Jump Start Your IRA

Lesson Description:

I put this lesson together to give you the exact blueprint for turning your retirement accounts into powerful, tax-free wealth machines. Over six sessions, I’ll walk you step-by-step through opening and funding your account, structuring your first deal, boosting your returns, using advanced strategies, protecting your money with private lending, and finally, putting it all together with real-world case studies.

Whether you’re brand new to self-directed IRAs or you’ve been investing for years, you’ll discover simple, practical ways to use your Roth IRA (and other tax-free accounts) to create lifelong financial freedom.

Module 1 – Getting Started with Your Self-Directed IRA: Opening & Funding Your Account

  • How to open and fund your IRA the right way.

  • Choosing between Traditional, Roth, SEP, or SIMPLE accounts.

  • Why your beneficiary form is more important than your will.

  • Fee structures explained (and how to save money).

  • Action: Complete your application and funding checklist.

Module 2 – Making Your First Deal Inside a Self-Directed Roth IRA

  • Real-world example: 23 houses in one IRA deal.

  • How to structure your first purchase contract in your IRA’s name.

  • Using Asset Purchase and Payment Authorization Directive forms.

  • Why all funds (earnest money, closing, expenses) must come from the IRA.

  • Action: Draft a sample purchase contract and directive forms.

Module 3 – Tracking Your IRA, Understanding Risk, and Boosting Returns

  • How to set up online access and track assets.

  • Putting your highest-return investments inside your Roth.

  • Why financial planners often resist self-directed IRAs.

  • Understanding risk: cash-on-cash returns, compounding, and leverage.

  • Action: Calculate ROI on one of your past or potential deals.

Module 4 – Advanced IRA Strategies: Leveraging, UBIT, 401(k)s, and Checkbook LLCs

  • Using non-recourse loans to leverage your IRA.

  • Understanding UBIT, UDFI, and when taxes apply.

  • Prohibited transactions: what you can and cannot do.

  • Exploring solo 401(k)s and checkbook LLCs safely.

  • Action: List prohibited vs. allowed transactions for your situation.

Module 5 – Private Lending with Your IRA: Protecting Your Money & Structuring Deals

  • Becoming the bank: why lending may be safer than owning.

  • Borrower vs. lender benefits.

  • Essential documents: appraisal, promissory note, mortgage, title insurance.

  • Using draw schedules and escrow to stay protected.

  • Action: Create your private lender’s checklist and draft sample loan terms.

Module 6 – Course Wrap-Up: Roth Conversions, Real-World Case Studies, and Next Steps

  • Recap of the 6-step process to grow your IRA.

  • How and when to do a Roth conversion.

  • Ralph’s case study: turning 23 houses into tax-free wealth.

  • Handling excess contributions and avoiding penalties.

  • Building your professional team and keeping it simple.

  • Action: Meet with your CPA to discuss Roth conversions and map out next steps.

Final Notes for Students

By the end of this lesson, you’ll know how to:

  • Open and fund your self-directed IRA.

  • Complete real estate and lending deals inside your IRA.

  • Multiply your returns while keeping everything tax-free.

  • Avoid prohibited transactions and costly mistakes.

  • Build lifelong, generational wealth using Roth strategies.

P.S. Remember, folks, it’s not about how much money you start with — it’s about what you know and how you put it to work. Pay tax on the seed, not the harvest, and you’ll create a lifetime of tax-free profits.