The Moment the Bottom Fell Out in 2008

Alberto Uranga, Founder of Lasaii Benefits, was sitting at the Heathrow Airport waiting to board a plane back home to Idaho. He had had a wonderful time visiting family and friends in the Basque Country, but was eager to get back to work as business was booming. As he got ready to hunker down for a long layover, he picked up the newspaper and read the giant words splashed across the front page, “Lehman Brother’s Crashed.” His heart dropped and he said out loud, “Oh my God, it’s over.”

On the plane, he remembers thinking over and over, “SAFE HARBOR-thank you, thank you SAFE HARBOR.” The “SAFE HARBOR” Alberto was referring to was his proprietary SAFE HARBOR®-Directed IRA™ (SHIRA™) program that structures an IRA to help buy or build real estate to occupy and/or create income.

With hundred’s of clients, Alberto was beyond relieved and ecstatic because he knew that not a single one of his client’s would lose a dime of their IRA funds despite the total annihilation of the securities market that had just occurred.

Why?

Because with the SHIRA™-the principal of his client’s IRA accounts were completely protected from any downturn in the securities market.

Fast Forward Twelve Years: Coronavirus

With the severe volatility that the stock market has experienced in the past couple of weeks and the uncertainty of the Coronavirus, again not a single one of our clients has lost a dime of their IRA’s-and still have the benefit of owning real estate with protected leverage to enjoy for themselves and/or use to create income.

Regardless of what has happened and will happen, both of their investments (SHIRA™ & Real Estate) have not been negatively effected. AND again-with incredible losses the last couple of weeks have incurred, we at Lasaii Benefits and our clients are saying, “THANK YOU SAFE HARBOR!”

Bottom line: Even though our clients money is not invested directly in the stock market, they have still seen around a 10% annual return from their investment: protection and interest earning of the SHIRA™, appreciation of their real estate, tax write offs for real estate ownership, rental income-AND LET’S NOT FORGET, the intrinsic value of occupancy and enjoyment their real estate has brought to them and their families.

The Real Estate is OUTSIDE of the IRA: OUTSIDE® Method

With the SHIRA™, the title of the real estate is in your name, not in the name of the IRA. Therefore, the real estate is OUTSIDE of your IRA and the two are not dependent on each other’s success. Rather, one supports the other while the two exist legally as completely separate entities. The power of two investments working in tandem creating many benefits for you and your family.

Double Jeopardy (Not Just for Murder)

If you are a staunch believer in investing your IRA funds in the securities market, our program may not be for you as the SAFE HARBOR®-Directed IRA™ is a protected account, safe from any possible downturn in the securities market, with potential interest earnings when the market does well. This is due to the term “Double Jeopardy” that indicates that the funds that are used to support real estate shouldn’t be invested in something as volatile as the securities market.

Tax Shelter Inspectors informed us about “Double Jeopardy” when they reviewed and deemed our program compliant in 2005-and with very good reason as, again, not a single one of our client’s lost any IRA funds in 2008 or have as of today because of the SHIRA™ and it’s protection of principal.

The Retirement Industry is catching up to what we have been offering since 2005. Everywhere you look you see the term “Safe Harbor” when discussing retirement wants and needs because SAFETY DOES MATTER! Especially in your later years.

(The SHIRA™ can be a great strategy if you are looking to diversify your portfolio with real estate, as you can take a portion of your IRA funds to be used to invest in IRA real estate to occupy and leave the rest in the securities market).

Benefits of the SHIRA™ that our clients enjoy:

Peace of Mind: The SAFE HARBOR®-Directed IRA™ (SHIRA™) is in a protected account, safe from any possible downturn in the securities market, with upside potential when the market performs well.

Control: Depending on age, our clients enjoy having complete control of stoping, increasing and decreasing their withdrawals from their SHIRA™ account. They have control over the labor that they can perform on their investment property. They have complete control over who can occupy their real estate.

Security & Protected Leverage: Because their IRA funds are protected from any downturn, no matter what happens with the economy, they will be able to make their mortgage payments, entrusting that they do not lose the real state investment. Unexpected job loss? The SHIRA™ can help pay an existing mortgage on a primary home or secondary home until you get back on your feet.

Family: Our program has Step-Up in Basis on the real estate, allowing our clients Heirs to inherit the real estate at death at it’s appreciated value with no tax consequences.

Flexibility: Flexibility of enjoying their real estate one weekend, and the flexibility to Airbnb it out the very next weekend with all rental income going directly to their pocket because with the SHIRA™, the title of the real estate is in their name, not the IRA’s.

Comfort: They enjoy the comfort of having a primary home, second home, or vacation home and the comfort of knowing that they have a safe place for their children to grow, learn, and make memories.

Freedom: The freedom to do what they want with their real estate. Whether it be something as small as fixing a broken fence or something as important as letting their daughter occupy the real estate while she attends college. With the SAFE HARBOR® -Directed IRA™, there are no prohibited transactions.

We are the leading experts in the IRA Real Estate to Occupy Industry and have been structuring tax effective IRA real estate investments that enhance your portfolio, lifestyle, market position and legacy since 1992.