Any experts of Roth conversions? Custodians?

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@Brian 'DJ Twist' Orr As a plan provider, I cannot make a specific recommendation as to a company to work with per BP guidelines. What I can help you do, however, is refine your question. Self-directed IRA's come in several formats offered by different types of companies. The type of self-directed IRA that will best suit your situation and goals will drive the process of identifying the right firm to work with. A self-directed IRA custodian is a processing entity. Think E*Trade or Fidelity with different paperwork. All IRA based plans are required to have a custodian to administer and report on the account. What makes a self-directed IRA custodian different is that they are not purely connected to the public exchanges and limited to investing in stocks, bonds and funds, but rather have the staff training and paperwork to document the IRA's investment in the more individualized transactions that occur when investing in real estate, notes and other non-traditional assets. Such custodians will hold funds, sign documents, issue expenses and receive income on behalf of your IRA and act as your processing layer. This works OK for relatively static and simple investments like a private placement or crowdfund, but can become rather cumbersome and expensive with a more time sensitive and transaction intensive asset such as a rental property. You also need to be aware that custodians are passive in nature and simply process transactions at your direction. They do not provide meaningful oversight or guidance with respect to tax code compliance. I would second what @Jeff S. mentioned, that true custodians are preferable to IRA administrators. A checkbook IRA LLC is an enhancement on the above structure that is generally more time and cost efficient for investors with a more diverse portfolio. It starts with a self-directed IRA held by a custodian, but the IRA simply makes one investment into a specially designed LLC entity. The IRA owns the LLC, but you can be the non-owner manager of the LLC and have signing authority. This allows you to directly manage transactions via the LLC and eliminates the paperwork, processing delays and per-transaction fees of the custodian. These plans typically cost a bit more to establish due to the legal work, but in most cases will save you considerably over the long term. With a quality provider, such plans also come bundled with meaningful consulting guidance to help you get the most out of the program while staying inside the IRS guidelines. So, as you continue your research and get feedback here on BP, think about what type of program will best suit your needs and be sure to ask questions along that line. Get on the phone and speak with a few of the providers that are active here on BP. You will pretty quickly be able to tell who is just selling something and who can become a valuable member of your team.

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Hi Brian,I just dealt with the process last month, so please feel free to DM me.Cheers!

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Brian, I would schedule a meeting with a local wealth advisor in your town to ask questions and get solid answers before you do anything with your Roth. Maybe even 2 meetings with 2 different advisers and make sure they both give the same answers. Most wealth advisors will provide a one hour free consultation for potential clients. Pick big names like Ameriprise, Charles Schawb or Morgan Stanley. If you are less than 59.5 years old, do not move that money until you find an advisor you trust. If not done correctly, you will be hit with taxes plus a 10% penalty.Then move with confidence and start investing in real estate and earn more than the stoke market has provided for the last year.Good luck!

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To clarify, @Brian 'DJ Twist' Orr, it sounds like you want to transfer your traditional Roth IRA to a custodian that handles self-directed Roth IRAs. Yes? Since IRAs are regulated at the federal level, it doesn’t matter what state your custodian is in. You will never visit them, but be careful. Many self-directed retirement companies are administrators and want to give you the impression they are custodians. They are really middlemen who will handle your money and then pass it on to a custodian in the background. Custodians are highly regulated. Administrators are not and there have been issues in the past with embezzlement. Maybe not perfect, but you can tell if you are dealing with a custodian rather than an administrator because they will usually have the word "Trust" in their name or they will be a bank or brokerage. If it's not clear to you, then ask, and insist on a clear answer. Also, some companies, usually brokers, say they offer self-directed IRAs but limit you to stocks, bonds, CDs, and maybe their mutual funds. Also, ask about fees. Fees are how these firms make their money and some can be substantial. Some IRA custodians charge by the transaction, some charge by the total value of your account, and some by both. All publish their fees online so you can use a spreadsheet to determine the lowest cost solution. This will obviously be personal and depend on your available cash and investment strategy. For example, if you are flipping houses and have a lot of relatively small dollar transactions, then pick a company that charges by the value of your account. If you expect to do relatively few higher dollar transactions, such as lending money, you might pick one that charges by the deal, etc. What works for me, might not work for you, so be careful when others recommend a specific company. Last is service, which really only comes from experience and reputation. After you’ve narrowed your search and selected a few companies that fit your style and investment strategy, you might post a few names here asking about their service. Also, ask around at some of your local real estate clubs, where you’ll find others more aligned with your new strategy. None of this is difficult, Brian, but as you can see, there is more to choosing a self-directed retirement plan custodian than asking for a few names. Good luck, to you.