Winning with Self Directed IRA's - Money You Forgot About

If your W-2 is doing well, the tax bill that comes with it probably doesn’t feel like a reward. In this episode of The Capital Shift, Roger sits down with Greg Herlean — founder of Horizon Trust Company, a self-directed IRA custodian with 9,000+ clients and over $2 billion in assets under administration — to break open a strategy that’s been legal since the 1970s but that almost nobody’s advisor mentions: using your retirement funds to invest in what you actually understand. Greg explains how a self-directed IRA lets you move retirement money into real estate, lending, fix-and-flips, and private deals — growing it tax-deferred, or completely tax-free inside a Roth. He and Roger also dig into the quieter opportunity hiding in plain sight: the 18+ million dormant retirement accounts left behind at old employers, and why there’s a real chance you (or your spouse) are sitting on one without knowing it. Inside the conversation: the two biggest reasons people never do this (and who genuinely shouldn’t), why 80% of Greg’s clients invest passively as lenders and fund partners rather than operators, Horizon’s cost structure, the “disqualified persons” rules that keep you out of trouble with the IRS, traditional vs. Roth in plain English, and how pooling IRAs with a partner can unlock deals you couldn’t do alone. This one pairs directly with the RealWise Collective: take the Capital Readiness Index, find your number, and find the Stewarts whose numbers complement yours. This episode is educational and not tax, legal, or investment advice. Rules and outcomes depend on your individual situation — talk to your CPA or advisor before acting. Roger is a client of Horizon Trust.