Self-Directed Investing: Webinar Series

American IRA

American IRA is the industry leader in self directed retirement accounts. This is a powerful investment tool to grow your wealth while saving millions in taxes. The problem is, most investors don't know what a self directed retirement account is or how to utilize one. AMIRA is here to fix that! Every week we invite on investment experts to learn new financial strategies and opportunities all while utilizing the tax advantages of a self directed account.

  1. Ep. 17 - A Real Estate Attorney's Insights on Avoiding Mistakes and Pitfalls Inside of Your Self-Directed IRA

    2D AGO

    Ep. 17 - A Real Estate Attorney's Insights on Avoiding Mistakes and Pitfalls Inside of Your Self-Directed IRA

    Are you accidentally jeopardizing your retirement account?In this essential webinar, we host Brian Elam, founder of Innovative Closing Solutions and a licensed North Carolina Real Estate Attorney since 1999. Brian is here to navigate the often-confusing legal procedures and pitfalls of Self-Directed IRAs (SDIRA).With experience spanning over 10,000 real estate closings, Brian will explain how SDIRA transactions should be properly structured and executed. He will cover the general SDIRA process, highlight irreversible legal pitfalls such as prohibited transactions, and clarify who is legally authorized to sign investment and closing documents so you can avoid mistakes that could jeopardize your retirement account.In this session, Brian Elam covers the three biggest legal questions:The Procedures: General SDIRA legal processes you need to anticipate.The "Third Rails": Specific, irreversible legal pitfalls (prohibited transactions) to avoid at all costs.The Execution: Who is legally required to sign the necessary documents?Brian is an entrepreneur at heart, having started his first business mowing lawns—and believes everyone should succeed in America. Get the experienced, professional legal advice you need to run your SDIRA accurately.Chapter Markers7:52 Custodian vs you: responsibilities and control limits11:35 Prohibited parties and prohibited transactions overview15:35 Executing purchase contracts and proper IRA titling20:23 Avoid personal benefit and mixing personal funds24:56 Co-owning deals: split income and repairs correctly25:38 Checkbook IRA/LLC structures: benefits and risks32:39 Liability insurance for IRA-owned rentals and land34:35 DIY work/landscaping can trigger prohibited transaction40:11 Property manager emergencies, expenses, and cash reserves📲🚀 Schedule a free consultation with our team today!https://americanira.com/consult📈💰 Begin your Self Directed Retirement Journey today at AmericanIRA!https://go.americanira.com/self-directed-ira-fees-yt/🎧💬🚀 Subscribe to our IRA Cafe Podcast:https://bit.ly/4mvb5Y3

    51 min
  2. Ep. 15 - Maximizing Retirement Contributions Strategic Insights with Keith Blackborg

    JAN 9

    Ep. 15 - Maximizing Retirement Contributions Strategic Insights with Keith Blackborg

    Keith Blackborg is a CPA and wealth strategist who has helped hundreds of business owners reach "work optional" in 3-5 years, build virtual family offices, and guides a community of self-directed millionaires. His presentation, "Retirement Plan Strategies — How to Maximize & Optimize Contributions," explains Solo 401(k) eligibility for owners and spouses with no employees and defines three contribution "cups": employee deferrals, employer contributions, and after-tax contributions. Keith covers practical tactics including the Mega‑Roth technique (same-day after-tax 401(k) rollovers to a Roth), 2025 contribution limits with numeric examples to optimize contributions, and payroll timing tips to help hit year-end targets. He also works with a community-based due diligence council to identify investments and service providers that support discounted rollover strategies, and this session is educational only, not individualized tax, legal, or investment advice.Chapter Markers01:44 - Host Welcome & Series ContextKyle introduces IRA Café, American IRA resources (website, social, YouTube), and frames this as part 2 of a 4‑part series with Keith, plus mentions future sessions (incl. Feb 11).04:51 - Keith’s Background & Focus of Session Keith introduces himself, his self‑directed millionaire community, and outlines today’s focus: optimizing and maximizing solo 401(k) contributions, including tax strategy.06:00 What Is a Solo 401(k)? Eligibility & AdvantagesExplanation that a solo 401(k) is for a business owner (and possibly spouse) with no employees, examples of qualifying businesses, ability to roll IRAs into solo 401(k), and why 401(k)s are often superior to IRAs (more forgiving rules, lower penalties).09:30 -Three Contribution Types Explained (Traditional, Roth, After‑Tax) Breakdown of:Traditional pre‑tax contributionsRoth post‑tax contributionsAfter‑tax (mega backdoor Roth feeder) contributions and how they’re converted to Roth.11:30 - 2025–2026 Solo 401(k) Limits & Age 50+ Catch‑UpDiscussion of total solo 401(k) limits ($70k for 2025; $72k for 2026; $80k for age 50+) and how the employee, employer, and after‑tax “buckets” interact.14:50 - Optimization Examples for Under & Over Age 50Detailed numeric examples showing:How to fully offset wages with contributions (e.g., ~$32,667 / $43,333 wages)How to max out to $72k / $80k using employee, employer, and after‑tax contributionsDifferences for under vs. over age 50.23:46 - Keith’s Personal Payroll & Tax StrategyKeith explains his own practice:Large Q1 paycheck to get money into the 401(k) early for growthYear‑end paycheck to cover tax liability via W‑2 withholding, avoid underpayment penalties, and keep funds invested longer; closing contact info and resources.📲🚀 Schedule a free consultation with our team today!https://americanira.com/consult 📈💰 Begin your Self Directed Retirement Journey today at AmericanIRA!https://go.americanira.com/self-directed-ira-fees-yt/🎧💬🚀 Subscribe to our IRA Cafe Podcast:https://bit.ly/4mvb5Y3

    29 min
  3. Ep. 14 - Don't Wait: End of Year Timelines for opening a new Self-Directed IRA

    12/19/2025

    Ep. 14 - Don't Wait: End of Year Timelines for opening a new Self-Directed IRA

    It's almost 2026 and if you are trying to get a new self-directed retirement account open and funded for those deals cooking in 2026... you won't want to miss these important factors and timelines. 1. ROR (Right of Rescission) - There is a 7 day waiting period once new accounts are opened before those funds can be invested into properties or other alternative assets. This is a period when any funds and fees transferred to or charged on behalf of the account can be fully refunded back to you. That also means that the investing of capital has to be held until that ROR period is over. If you have a deal you are looking to close on, make sure you keep in mind that all new accounts will have this 7 day holding window. 2. Transferring of funds - American IRA has very little control or say in how long outbound custodians take to transfer funds from your existing account into your new Self-Directed account. Rollovers can be quicker than full cash-out transfers but make sure you plan on at least 7-14 days to get your account funded. Transfers and rollovers can still take place during the first 7 day ROR period. 3. If you are thinking about opening up a new account, an added benefit at American IRA is that we provide you with a dedicated transaction coordinator to help you through all the paperwork and timelines. Not just on opening your account but on all future deals. This service is provided to our customers at no additional cost to you. No call centers, no automated answer systems. Real people there when you need it. 4. LLC formations can be fantastic tools in your retirement portfolio for even more flexibility but setting them up and funding them in the right order is critical for keeping your retirement account compliant. You can not transfer a pre-existing LLC into your IRA so make sure you speak with a specialist before formation. At American IRA we have a partner company, TurnKey IRA, that can take care of the entire formation process for you and register in any state of your choosing. If you get stuck or have any other questions, feel free to drop us a comment or follow the link below to speak to Kyle and the rest of our IRA team. 📲🚀 Schedule a free consultation with our team today!https://sholink.to/consult📈💰 Begin your Self Directed Retirement Journey today at AmericanIRA!https://americanira.ac-page.com/yt-land-lowest-fees🎧💬🚀 Subscribe to our IRA Cafe Podcast:https://bit.ly/4mvb5Y3

    41 min
  4. Ep. 12 - Find the next Downtown Revitalization to make BIG RETURNS on Single Family Rentals

    12/05/2025

    Ep. 12 - Find the next Downtown Revitalization to make BIG RETURNS on Single Family Rentals

    You've probably heard "what are the three rules to buying real estate?" Location, location, location. What is better than buying rental properties in an overlooked urban downtown RIGHT before their big glow-up? Gregg Cohen has actually studied the Great American City expansion over the last 20 years and has pinpointed the number to watch where a downtown goes from "meh" to printing money. Gregg is the Co‑Founder of JWB Real Estate Companies, which manages over $1.3 billion in assets and 5,600 single‑family rental properties, making passive real estate investing accessible to everyday investors. In this talk he breaks down the five profit centers of rental property investing—net rental income, tax savings, principal paydown, home price appreciation, and inflation hedging—and shows how a single property can build long‑term wealth. Using a Jacksonville case study and a 10‑year buy‑hold cash‑out refinance example, he demonstrates how cash‑flowing rentals near an emerging downtown can produce tax‑free cash and substantial equity. He argues Jacksonville’s downtown revitalization mirrors early growth in cities like Austin and Nashville and explains why now is a timely window to position for appreciation and generational wealth.📲🚀 Schedule a free consultation with our team today!https://sholink.to/consult📈💰 Begin your Self Directed Retirement Journey today at AmericanIRA!https://americanira.ac-page.com/yt-land-lowest-fees🎧💬🚀 Subscribe to our IRA Cafe Podcast:https://bit.ly/4mvb5Y3

    52 min
  5. Ep. 11 - Beat Bitcoin Volatility with Infrastructure Investing for Stable Asset Protection

    11/28/2025

    Ep. 11 - Beat Bitcoin Volatility with Infrastructure Investing for Stable Asset Protection

    This is the true 101 course on how Bitcoin is sourced and protected across millions of computers and billions of lines of code. Beau Turner is the founder and CEO of Abundant Mines, a former real estate investor turned tech entrepreneur who builds renewable-energy bitcoin mining data centers and provides white-glove, hands-off infrastructure for investors. In his presentation he outlines a turnkey strategy for high-net-worth individuals and family offices to convert tax liabilities into an owned Bitcoin position by investing in productive mining infrastructure rather than buying BTC outright. He explains how tax tools like 100% first-year bonus depreciation, possible Section 179 expensing, and operating expense write-offs, combined with renewable energy hosting and operator-managed facilities, create immediate tax savings and lower the effective cost to acquire bitcoin. Beau presents modeled outcomes — a typical 30–50% effective BTC acquisition discount and potential 5–10x multi-year returns shown in the deck — and stresses urgency to act before bonus depreciation phases down after 2025 for investors with roughly $100K+ deployable capital.📲🚀 Schedule a free consultation with our team today!https://sholink.to/consult📈💰 Begin your Self Directed Retirement Journey today at AmericanIRA!https://americanira.ac-page.com/yt-land-lowest-fees🎧💬🚀 Subscribe to our IRA Cafe Podcast:https://bit.ly/4mvb5Y3

    42 min

About

American IRA is the industry leader in self directed retirement accounts. This is a powerful investment tool to grow your wealth while saving millions in taxes. The problem is, most investors don't know what a self directed retirement account is or how to utilize one. AMIRA is here to fix that! Every week we invite on investment experts to learn new financial strategies and opportunities all while utilizing the tax advantages of a self directed account.