Lasaii Benefits has created a high-quality service of directing IRA funds to invest in real estate that allows for personal use and additional income. We bring structure and security together with creativity and innovation through a unique process that allows our clients to realize their visions, have control over their IRA funds and experience freedom and use of their investment now and in their retirement.
Meet the family that owns and operates Lasaii Benefits: IRA Real Estate to Occupy:
Alberto Flores-Uranga first came to the United States from the Basque Country (region in Northen Spain and Southern France) in 1968 to work as a sheepherder in the mountains of Idaho. He became a U.S. Citizen in 1974 and will never forget that moment as he believed, and still does, that the United States is the land of opportunity. He started selling insurance door to door, opened his own financial services business in 1984 and became a licensed Series 7 Financial Advisor in 1986. At that time, some of his clients expressed their sincere frustration with the limited options that they had on where and how to invest their qualified retirement plans. They could either invest their retirement funds in the volatility of the stock market, and likely get burned by it at some point, or they could invest their funds in real estate that they wouldn’t be able to use and with a heavy dose of prohibited transactions.
So, with his ever present pioneering spirit, Alberto studied and called upon his out of the box thinking to use his knowledge and approach the issue in an unconventional way. From this approach, our proprietary IRA Real Estate to Occupy program was born. He first used it with a client in 1992 who had a $1,000,000 Keogh plan, in conjunction with a bank loan, build four duplex investment properties in Hailey, ID. (These properties continue to provide income for our client to this day).
After helping his client in 1992, Alberto taught this OUTSIDE™ method of directing IRA funds into real estate with no prohibited transactions, along with other investment strategies for the College of Southern Idaho from 1994-2004. After successfully implementing his program with a few more clients, Alberto was realizing more and more how powerful and valuable his proprietary investing strategy was. In 2005, he decided to leave his Series 7 license behind and focus solely on the SAFE HARBOR®-Directed IRA™ (SHIRA™) and helping people purchase real estate OUTSIDE of their IRA. Since then, his proprietary IRA Real Estate to Occupy program has helped hundreds of people across thirty six states and five countries. He now spends his time between Ketchum, ID and his hometown in the Basque Country.
Q&A with Alberto:
What’s your favorite part of Lasaii Benefits: IRA Real Estate to Occupy?
“The big picture-that together with the possible appreciation of the real estate, rental income, tax savings, asset protection with potential interest earnings and, above all, the intrinsic value of personal enjoyment and use of the property could easily, and has been, a double digit yearly return. I love the freedom and lifestyle this type of investment affords to our clients. I also know how important protection is. When you’ve lived as long as I have, you’ve seen it all and know that anything can happen, and has happened, at the drop of a hat.”
Favorite way a client has used the SHIRA™?
“A client that actually used his second SHIRA™ with us (his first SHIRA™ was used to help buy an investment office building) to build a beautiful, single family residence from the ground up. I loved helping him realize his vision. I’ll never forget when the construction was finished and the house was built. My client invited me over and as I stepped into this grand house, I thought to myself, ‘I wish this house was mine.'”
(The pictured house is the home that was built in Sun Valley, ID with the help of the SHIRA™ and that Alberto wishes was his).
Xole Flores-Uranga (So-Lay- we know, these Basque names are weird) has been working alongside her father Alberto for the past five years and after graduating from Boise State University. Xole has always had an interest in being an entrepreneur after watching the success of her father and how he has fundamentally changed the retirement industry and the lives of the people who have used our program. She genuinely wants to serve and believes in the value of the SAFE HARBOR®-Directed IRA™ (SHIRA™) by seeing firsthand how it has bettered their clients lives by giving them peace of mind, control, and even adventure in their retirement. She lives and works out of Ketchum, ID.
Q&A with Xole:
What’s your favorite part of Lasaii Benefits: IRA Real Estate to Occupy?
“Honestly, getting to hang out with my dad and learn from him everday. He’s super smart, a wonderful storyteller, and in my opinion, the epitome of the American dream. I can only hope to be half the person he is moving forward and as I continue to learn and eventually take over the business. Although, it will be hard for him to pass the torch as he lives and breathes all things IRA Real Estate-and soccer, of course.”
Favorite way a client has used the SHIRA™?
“A client in New Mexico that used his SHIRA™ to invest in a Bed and Breakfast. It’s a family affair now and must be so much fun to have that experience with your family. I like the idea of creating income and being able to have something tangible to create memories and stories with your family and friends. I’m all about a good story.”
Xebi Flores-Uranga (Seb-ee, again, think about how we felt growing up and getting called on for the attendance role on the first day of class) is a successful mortgage lender and an expert on all things loans, which is perfect for us as our program works in conjunction with a mortgage. Xebi sits on the Board of Directors for Lasaii Benefits and is a valuable asset as he shares his information on the housing market, qualifying for a loan, and the knowledge he has on how the SAFE HARBOR®-Directed IRA™ (SHIRA™) works so that we can provide our clients with the best insight possible for purchasing the real estate. He currently lives and works out of Irvine, California.
Q&A with Xebi:
What’s your favorite part of Lasaii Benefits: IRA Real Estate to Occupy?
“Being able to personally use and enjoy the real estate. I see the massive opportunities out there everyday to create income and wealth from short term rentals. How perfect is it that you can direct your retirement monies into that type of investment, and take your family there to use over the weekend? I like the control aspect of that. There really is no other IRA investment like it.”
Favorite way a client has used the SHIRA™?
“An older couple that I had known since I was a kid were about to lose their home because the trailer park that they lived in was going to close. Our program was able to help them qualify for the loan and direct their IRA funds into a new home, something they didn’t think could ever be possible for them. They live there to this day, less than a hundred miles from my hometown of Ketchum.”
SMART INVESTING STARTS AT HOME.
We help people multiply their IRA funds by directing them to purchase real estate that they can personally use or create an additional income from, so that they can have more flexibility in their retirement, as well as create certainty and security for their families and leave a larger and more impactful legacy.
One last thing.
With the extreme volatility the market has been experiencing the last few weeks, not a single client of ours has incurred a loss of value to their SHIRA™.
In fact, according to a report from Zillow, real estate increased in value an average 5.46% in 2019 nationwide, along with the asset protection of their SHIRA™, possible rental income, tax benefits, and the intrinsic value of occupancy of the property, our clients enjoy confidence, peace of mind and growth with their SAFE HARBOR®-Directed IRA™ (SHIRA™) real estate investment and its bottom line.
