Promissory Notes and Secured/Unsecured Loans in a Self-Directed IRA

Published on January 16, 2020

As we wrote about last fall, promissory notes are one way that self-directed investors—individuals with a self-directed IRA or other retirement plan—can provide funding assistance to other parties while building retirement savings. In that article, we focused on real estate notes, also called private mortgage notes; these are promissory notes secured by a piece (or multiple pieces) of real estate.

Self-directed investors can also include promissory notes in their retirement plans. Also known as commercial paper, these are issued by organizations to raise short-term capital for business purposes. Investment notes are essentially loan agreements that guarantee investors that they will receive a return on their investment within a specified time frame.

There are various reasons why a company issues commercial paper—to finance payroll, accounts payable, inventory purchases, or to meet other short-term liabilities. The maturity term is generally from a few weeks to a few months; the loan is based on the borrower’s promise to repay and the lender’s confidence in that ability.

Another type of loan that can be funded through a self-directed IRA is a student loan. The IRA lends money to someone to pay a student loan and the debtor pays back the self-directed IRA with interest.

When promissory notes and other loans come from a self-directed IRA, the repayment terms (such as maturity date, payment schedule, interest paid on the loan, and a default clause) are worked out between the parties involved, instructions are sent to the self-directed IRA administrator, and the repaid funds with interest go directly back into the IRA.

While investing in notes can be a great way to help others get the funding they need in the short term, investors should always be aware of the risks and should fully understand the nontraditional investments they are considering. As with any investment, we strongly recommend that our clients conduct full due diligence in order to protect the tax-advantaged status of their account(s).

When it comes to questions about self-direction as a retirement wealth-building strategy, we’re here to help. We offer many ways to get in touch with us to learn more. One of those ways is to arrange a complimentary educational session with one of our representatives. Alternatively, you can contact us via phone at 888.857.8058 or email NewAccounts@NextGenerationTrust.com.