Alternative Investments

Discount Mortgage Notes

Invest in "discount notes" that are actively purchased and managed for you via a note brokering firm. Your funds are secured by a real estate mortgage, usually with a degree of safety such that home values would have to tumble more than 30% prior to any concern over principal.
Funds are illiquid; only available a couple times per year on average. On the other hand, historical returns for the firm we use are 15%-30% annually, though no rate of return is promised. To gain a better understanding of what they are and how they work read this report on mortgage note investing.

Currency Trading

Invest in the Global Currency Market. Currency investments can help protect you from US economic concerns and are, we believe, important for a diversified portfolio. Currency trading can be very lucrative, and very risky. An understanding of the trading firm and its audited history should be required before even considering investment. There is at least one firm that uses collateralization by a third-party trust to reduce the risk of principal loss. They have target returns of 24-48% annually. Several very reputable and skilled teams we work with would be happy to talk with you or your planner about your situation.

Established Builders or Private Loans

Capitalize loans. Your funds are usually secured by a particular project, sometimes by multiple holdings. Durations vary widely, as do the terms, though fixed rates of 9%-15% annually are common. Knowing the developer and researching each project is paramount to reducing risk to principal. If done correctly, this can be an excellent method of yielding above average "fixed income."

Gold or Silver

Buy the physical metals. They have never been easier to purchase within a retirement account. Investors who seek to own the metal (instead of a piece of paper that says they own the metal) are thrilled by the privacy and cost savings a CompleteIRA retirement account gives them. Any serious goldbug should talk to us about the improved privacy and lower costs of ownership our approach offers.

Real Estate w/ High Rents, Short Sales, and Foreclosures

Purchase real estate for investment or resale. The current market has created some very good opportunities for people with cash available. You can leverage your IRA assets by financing the purchase. Properly done, $50,000 in retirement monies could control $150,000 to $700,000+ in property.
Your time involvement can be as high or as low as you like depending on your Realtor and Loan Officer. We could make recommendations for either; or assist your current one.

Tax Liens

Stable receipt of property taxes is vital to any state. State tax liens on the property often yield higher than what an investor could get for a bond of comparable risk. Research of the property is needed to prevent buying a $100,000 lien on a property that is only worth $50,000. The ability to evaluate these investments could certainly be considered easier and more straightforward than buying a mutual fund full of subprime mortgages.

Life Insurance Settlement Pools

Did you know that all those policies that people around the globe let lapse often don't really lapse? There is a strong secondary market for these policies, and large companies and many investors in-the-know have been making sizable, fairly stable returns for years by investing in large pools of these policies.
They offer excellent diversification for the qualified investor, along with historical returns from 12%-17% (clearly it would vary pool to pool in a material way). We are very comfortable with several firms who offer these. Before (or after) looking around the net, contact us and we'll give you the names of several firms who will treat you well.

Options or Stock on Margin

Invest using Options. Invest on margin with stocks. Leveraging your choices in equity markets could not be easier if properly setup with an account from us, and difficult or impossible if not. We favor options over margin as there are tax concerns (even in an IRA) if margin is utilized. Nonetheless, our approach gives you that freedom. The same firm that uses principal protection in the currency market mentioned above has a collateralized investment setup in the options market also.

Tenant-in-Common Property

Small or very large properties are available. You can receive stable cash flows that are currently similar to AAA bonds in payout, plus your portion of the appreciation when the holding period is complete. Total annualized returns are roughly 8%-13% historically, though no appreciation is promised in most cases. Interaction or monitoring of the property by the investor is usually none, and the rent payments through some providers are stabilized (reducing concern over the vacancy rate).

You have more opportunities to grow your retirement plan assets than you have ever been told. Through our network of clients, investors, and financial professionals we have the opportunity to see a wide range of prospects that are both safe and profitable.

We hope you find this list useful. Contact us by email or by phone, 888-595-7313, with any questions about a particular investment and we'll be happy to assist you or your planner in taking the next step.

Do not invest in anything without proper due diligence. Various investments may require different levels of research. CompleteIRA does not provide investment advice. In all cases - ask questions, and seek appropriate investment advice prior to investing. Please review our risk disclosure carefully.