Why has My Financial Planner Never told me about Self-Directed IRAs
Traditionally, custodians control IRA investments and may not always promote all the investments approved by the IRS. They have created the notion that stocks, bonds, CDs, annuities and mutual funds are the only investment options available. Over the past few years, there has been an increasing awareness about the use and advantages of self directed IRA accounts. Many savvy investors have begun to move away from the volatile stock market, and divest into alternative investment available through a self directed IRA.
Self directed IRA accounts allow individuals to enjoy diversified investments not readily available through most custodians. Almost any investment in allowed except: collectibles (such as coins, artworks, stamps, etc.) and life insurance contracts. If your financial planner does not offer any of the investment options that are allowed by the IRS, it may mean the time has come to approach another financial planner more familiar with self directed IRA accounts. .
The Self Directed IRA as a wealth builder
The self directed IRA is an effective tool that you can use to build your wealth while putting total control in your hands. One of the reasons why your financial planner may not have explored all the investment opportunities available with an SDIRA is that their services may no longer be required, resulting in loss of revenue to them from your retirement account. The latest IRS rules make it easy for you to invest your IRA account in alternative investments. You can put money into commercial and residential real estate IRAs, buy a business entity, loan your money for mortgages, notes, tax liens and foreclosed properties. You can be the manager of your property. If you do not have all the funds to invest in real estate, you can opt for an IRA loan to leverage your investment. A real estate loan obtained with your self directed IRA must be a non recourse loan.
If you have not heard of a self directed IRA before, it is possible that your financial planner does not deal with all the investment options that are allowed. For example, if your financial planner is a bank, your investment options are limited primarily to CDs. If it is a brokerage firm, you can only invest in stocks and bonds. Moreover, since your financial planner more or less manages your entire retirement account, they may not want to present you with investment options from which they cannot earn revenue. After all, their services are offered for a fee. To protect their fees, they may withhold information, offer very sketchy details, or discourage any alternative investments altogether.
It is also likely that your current financial planner assumes that you don’t want to control your own retirement investments, simply because its been implied it by them managing it for you. Some people actually prefer to status quo their decision-making and leave it to an expert. In fact, many people are unaware that they can invest in real estate with their IRA. Those that want to, however, do make their own investment choices and enjoy tangible returns. Real estate investments make a good choice particularly in combination with an IRA loan which, in addition to protecting your various IRA assets, also indemnifies you personally from all liability. You can also use your IRA loan to refinance a property you own free and clear in your self directed IRA. Thus, a self directed IRA, potentially allows for larger and more profitable investment options, compared to traditional investments.
For more information regarding Real Estate IRAs, please visit IslandViewMortgage.com
Regaining Financial Stability through Negotiated Debt Consolidation Loans
Australia was one of the few countries around the world that emerged relatively unscathed from the financial crisis that gripped most of Europe, United States of America, and Asia. However, there were many businesses and individuals who had to take the unwelcome step of having to declare bankruptcy, a move that is literally the last resort for many people.
Financial Meltdown
With money flowing freely and credit cards being issued with the minimum of due diligence, the spending spree was quite large; however, when the economy slowed down and shifted focus, the creditors started pressurising their clients for repayments. For individuals and businesses that had problems repaying the accumulated debts, the only option left to them was to find debt solutions in Australia which would be acceptable to the creditors. This type of situation is tailor-made for the services of a debt mediator who can then provide the individual and the creditors with a mutually agreeable debt solution. The role of a debt mediator is to completely research the financial standing of the debtor, before they can even begin the process of consolidating all the debts. This type of solution through debt consolidation has proved to be one of the best solutions that are acceptable to both parties.
Expert Debt Mediators
One of the most common methods used to find debt solutions in Australia to repay creditors is to take a debt consolidation loan; this is a single personal loan provided by financial institutions, which can clear all or part of their outstanding debts. This solves any incipient problems of a creditor trying to pressurise the debtor to file for bankruptcy. One of the advantages of this kind of debt solution is that the debtor does not have to keep track of different debt repayments, because all the debts will be consolidated into one debt. With the consolidation loan, the part or full repayment can be done, but any future repayment is done with one payment on a monthly basis, freeing the debtor from having to keep track of various repayment issues.
Clean Credit Score
Defaulting on debt repayments, which is normally considered after a 60-day delay, is usually recorded in an individual’s credit history. This record might seriously impair the debtor’s ability to obtain any future credit, which would hurt them quite badly; the entry in the credit report is usually kept for a period of 5 years or longer. However, using the debt solution provided by your debt mediators through a consolidation loan would help to solve this problem and avoid a poor rating or credit score in Australia. This consolidation loan works on the principle of reducing or cancelling all or part of your debts, and consolidating the remaining repayments with a monthly single payment, which would be easier to manage for the debtor. By consolidating the debts, the debtor is able to easily manage their remaining debts or liabilities in an efficient and effective way without having to worry about when the next repayment is due.
Author’s Bio:
Author has many years of experience in content writing. He is the most celebrated and acclaimed author in financial sector. Now he is providing information on debt solutions Australia and credit score Australia.
[Top]Financial Advice Why Paying For it Saves You Money
For many years, independent financial advisors in the UK have operated on a sales-driven commission model. This has meant that instead of being paid directly by those who came to them for impartial financial advice, they received a commission from the providers of the financial products as a marketing cost, with the advice function being a secondary consequence of the transaction.
While this offered short-term benefits for the cash-strapped consumer looking for financial advice, it brought a host of problems. The most obvious was that financial advisors were incentivised to recommend products that paid them attractive commission not necessarily those that were right for their clients.
This problem reached its peak with the pensions mis-selling scandal, which saw thousands of people move out of occupational pensions schemes when they would have been better advised to stay put. Although it first came to light many years ago, pensions mis-selling was still a problem as recently as 2008, when unscrupulous financial advisors were found to be encouraging investors to switch their pensions at a total cost of 43m per year.
As things stand, advisors can take commission when they sell products such as pensions or unit trusts, as well as a trail or recurring commission for every year the consumer holds the product. According to the FSA, these commissions amounted to an average of 5.6% of the sum invested. So while financial advice might be free at the point of sale, it certainly does have an impact on the performance of an investment and, more importantly, it is clear that the advice given to the consumer can never be truly impartial.
However, there is a different way, as Neil Shillito, Director of leading financial advisors SG Wealth Management, explains. Stephen Girling (my fellow director) and I wrote our business plan in 2000, and we felt that the best way to run a higher-end financial advice business was on the basis of what is now known as Customer Agreed Remuneration, he says. Put simply, what advice and service can I expect to be given, over how long and at what cost? People in the industry looked at us as though we were mad. But we were ten years ahead of the thinking at that time. Slowly, the Regulator and the industry have accepted the changes.
The firm has a completely transparent model, where clients are simply charged a percentage of their investment in return for first class advice and service, irrespective of and unrelated to investment products. It took time for the firms offering to catch on, but it soon proved popular. It was very tough in the early years, recalls Shillito. We didnt have enough clients to generate referrals, so we worked hard to build up our presence in the local community and demonstrate that our business proposition added real value to the right kind of client. Despite the horrendous market downturn in 2001/2003 as a result of the bursting of the “tech bubble”, we became profitable in our fourth year, and have become increasingly profitable ever since. Even the recessionary period of 2007/2009 has failed to make a dent in the robustness of our financial stability.
It seems the rest of the financial advice industry is now coming round to SGWMs way of thinking: from 2012, UK financial advisors will be forced to charge the consumer directly for their services. Is SGWM concerned about the influx of new competitors? No, not really, Neil replies. We have a ten-year head start in terms of what the FSAs RDR [Retail Distribution Review] will bring in 2012. Firms that are changing slowly or reluctantly are going to find it hard to adjust, while were already accustomed to delivering our financial advice this way. If anything, it will be good for us, because it will raise awareness and acceptance of the direct-charging model.
[Top]Choosing Certified Financial Planner As Career
Choosing a career is one of the most important decision for the youths. It is the most crucial period of life. It is lengthy procedure which makes one life, so if you are on the way to begin your life time achievements, certified financial planning is the best option one should follow.
A Certified Financial Planner, or CFP, basically is a financial professional who meets the requirements set up by the CFP Board of Standards. If you enjoy studying maths, economics and finance with full interest than career in certified financial planning is the best option for you.
Because of the economy and economic depression most of the people have started targeting on their finances and finding out different ways to maximize their savings and income without any major loss. Hence the demand and need of financial planners has increased, everyone or the other is seeking out financial planner experts for their guidance and help to meet the defined financial goals.
The career as a financial planner starts with certified financial planning course which is done after completing the bachelor’s degree in either finance, maths, economics, accounting or statistics. After completing graduation, you can further continue to complete several courses according to your choice and interest with future planning ahead. Several courses can be done in estate / tax / investment planning or finance law. This short term courses will be helpful to you in completing certified financial planning course.
Then in order to achieve certified financial planning course, you must met following requirements which are as follows :-
1.Complete Education Requirement :- Complete all the basic requirements to opt this course and also CFP Board Registered Education Program.
2.You will receive a transcript review, keep it safe with you.
3.After that prepare and try your best to pass CFP certification Examination.
4.Try pursuing three years of work experience for the certification.
5.After that you must be also eligible to pass the CFP Board’s Candidate Fitness Standards, which is also very important and help you in achieving certification.
6.All the certification fees must be paid on time.
7.Upon completion of all the formalities and payment, CFP certificants will receive authorization and designation as CFP
8.Continuing Education should be completed as per CFP Board.
To select certified financial planning course as your career ahead, do some Internet searches on search engines like google, yahoo, bing. Look into local yellow page directories, contact financial planner, read reviews of financial planners. Try having a word with them or set up meeting with them if you are serious about your career.
All these certifications will be required by you to continue for further academic qualifications and to maintain your probability in the financial planning field. Usually the educational program may consist of few classes annually or so, with the aim keeping in mind to update planners regarding the latest knowledge and make sure they keep their skills sharp at all times. In addition, a financial planner will need to fulfill some specific specifications and regulations besides acting upon good faith.
[Top]Debt Help Provided By Bankruptcy Courts To Individuals In Financial Crises
A severe debt situation can arise due to a number of reasons. It is important to clear a debt burden as quickly as possible, in order to get back the stability of your financial life and save your credit records from getting permanently damaged. Bankruptcy is one of the various debt solutions that can be availed to emerge out of a difficult debt situation. While it can be quite a challenge to file for bankruptcy owing to the various pessimisms involved in the procedure, adequate information obtained from experienced legal advisors can help in determining if it is appropriate for you.
If you are trying to cope with severe debt crisis, and planning to file for bankruptcy, it is important to obtain all necessary information regarding the rules and laws followed by the bankruptcy courts. Despite involving a number of negativisms, bankruptcy can help you clear the debt burdens efficiently. There are various kinds of bankruptcies that need to be known and evaluated before you can choose the right one for you. Consulting an expert legal attorney is important to decide on the most suitable type of bankruptcy for you.
If you are an individual trying to overcome a debt situation, filing for personal bankruptcy can help you clear your financial difficulties. Personal bankruptcy is divided into two types, namely chapter 7 bankruptcy and chapter 13 bankruptcy to help individuals in different financial situations.
In chapter 7 bankruptcy, the court seizes the non-exempt assets from the debtors and liquidates them for making payments to the lenders. However, there are certain bankruptcy laws that allow people to retain some of their valuable assets even after bankruptcy filing. An experienced and knowledgeable legal advisor can provide you adequate information on how to keep you assets in spite of filing for bankruptcy.
In chapter 13 bankruptcy however, you dont have to lose control over your assets. In this form of bankruptcy, you are provided with convenient repayment plans allowing you to make debt payments at affordable monthly rates and over a fixed period of time. Once you file for chapter 13 bankruptcy, the bankruptcy courts work on your behalf to negotiate with the creditors and provide you with easy repayment plans that are designed only after taking into consideration your monthly income and the necessary expenditures you have to make. You are expected to make the monthly payments only after you have paid for all your necessary monthly bills, and for a definite period of time. One of the most advantageous aspects of this type of bankruptcy is that it relieves you of any remaining debt amount after the lapse of the fixed time period.
Personal bankruptcy can help individuals immensely in overcoming severe financial crises. However, there are various bankruptcy laws made by the court that need to be known:
Personal bankruptcy can be filed only to clear unsecured debts. It cannot help in clearing unsecured debts.
You have to compulsorily complete a credit counseling course and present the certificate of completion at the court during the time of filing.
It is also a compulsory rule to pass a means test in order to prove the eligibility to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy.
While you are allowed by the court to file for bankruptcy yourself without an attorney, it is always advisable to take professional help for an efficient and successful bankruptcy filing.
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