After I transferred funds from my traditional IRA to a self directed IRA LLC, through kingdom trust,  I then was able to invest in real estate, precious metals, stocks/mutual funds, crowdfunding investments and the lists  of available options are impressive.

Maybe even found a way to house hack your mortgage where someone ELSE pays it, and your not sinking your precious cash into it.

This book has been an eye opener for me on how to save money on taxes and how not to give away your precious funds back to the government.I would suggest ordering it from bigger pockets because you get the below bonus PDFs https://get.biggerpockets.com/taxbook/Bonus #1: What Records to Keep and WhyBonus #2: When to Call Your CPABonus #3: CPA Fireround!

You only get to do this once… every moment is precious

This means, I've wasted precious time.What if, instead, I just tell them to go to local bank around the corner and deposit whatever they have in their hands? 

It's impossible to give specific advice without knowing multiple factors that go into analyzing a commercial property and highest and best use.My first employer hocked his wife's jewelry that led to his first successful office building.

The other issue that is swaying me away from real estate property at this time is that its much more time consuming to find deals right now and time is my most precious asset so I need something passive.I was of thinking of investing my 100K as follows: 20K in gold20K in an index fund pegged to the Dow Jones (I know, quite the day to talk about buying stocks!)

I have investing experience with the stock market and precious metals and have been doing so since I was 17, but again, stocks are risky and leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Following are the similarities and differences between the solo 401k and the self-directed IRA.The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k Similarities Both were created by congress for individuals to save for retirement;Both may be invested in alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals tax liens, promissory notes, private company shares, and stocks and mutual funds, to name a few;Both allow for Roth contributions;Both are subject to prohibited transaction rules;Both are subject to federal taxes at time of distribution;Both allow for checkbook control for placing alternative investments;Both may be invested in annuities;Both are protected from creditors;Both allow for nondeductible contributions; andBoth are prohibited from investing in assets listed under I.R.C. 408(m).The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k DifferencesIn order to open a solo 401k, self-employment, whether on a part-time or full-time basis, is required;To open a self-directed IRA, self-employment income is not required;In order to gain IRA checkbook control over the self-directed IRA funds, a limited liability company (IRA LLC)  must be utilized;The solo 401k allows for checkbook control from the onset;The solo 401k allows for personal loan known as a solo 401k loan;It is prohibited to borrow from your IRA;The Solo 401k may be invested in life insurance;The self-directed IRA may not be invested in life insurance;The solo 401k allow for high contribution amounts (for 2016, the solo 401k contribution limit is $53,000, whereas the self-directed IRA contribution limit is $5,500);The solo 401k business owner can serve as trustee of the solo 401k;The self-directed IRA participant/owner may not serve as trustee or custodian of her IRA; instead, a trust company or bank institution is required;When distributions commence from the solo 401k a mandatory 20% of federal taxes must be withheld from each distribution and submitted electronically to the IRS by the 15th of the month following the date of each distribution;Rollovers and/or transfers from IRAs or qualified plans (e.g., former employer 401k) to a solo 401k are not reported on Form 5498, but rather on Form 5500-EZ, but only if the air market value of the solo 401k exceeds $250K as of the end of the plan year (generally 12/31);When funds are rolled over or transferred from an IRA or 401k to a self-directed IRA, the amount deposited into the self-directed IRA is reported on Form 5498 by the receiving self-directed IRA custodian by May of the year following the rollover/transfer.Rollovers (provided the 60 day rollover window is satisfied) from an IRA to a Solo 401k or self-directed IRA are reported on lines 15a and 15b of Form 1040;Pre-tax IRA contributions on reported on line 32 of Form 1040;Pre-tax solo 401k contributions are reported on line 28 of Form 1040;Roth solo 401k funds are subject to RMDs;A Roth 401k may be transferred to a Roth IRA (Note that from a planning perspective, it may be advantageous to transfer Roth Solo 401k funds to a Roth IRA before turning age 70 ½ in order to escape the Roth RMD requirement applicable to Roth 401k contributions including Roth Solo 401k contributions and earnings.)

As long as it cash flows you leverage cash and still do good on the up cycle.If the bank wants big down then you have to really hammer them on a reduction to justify injecting precious capital.