That the offer is not an offer to invest as much as an offer to show if people would be interested.And the folks in TX and WA cannot participate.

I plan on self-managing all my properties and I thought that would essentially make me an active participant in my soley owned LLC.

I look forward to participating in the forums!

You can participate in just as good of deals with much better terms elsewhere.

I tell them they have to participate and leave it at that.

Compared to an IRA, Solo 401k contribution limits are roughly ten times higher.There is no custodial requirement for the 401k.You don't need the additional expense and administration of an LLC to have checkbook control.There is a built in-Roth component whereas IRAs are either traditional or Roth, not both.A spouse can also participate in the same Solo 401k plan.The Solo 401k has additional tax benefits over an IRA when investing into real estate using leverage.You can borrow from a 401k, but not an IRABoth C-Corps and LLCs can adopt a Solo 401k.

@Stacey AgustinI would strongly recommend participating at least at some level in your employer 401(k) plan. 

You should start by reading this article I wrote: How Canadian Can Investors Participate in US Real Estate SyndicationsAs a multifamily syndicator with Canadian investors on both coasts (and a few provinces in between), your first step needs to be getting in touch with a cross-border CPA.

I know they pay to be members and thus get the right to participate but what about learning about their rules BEFORE making a commitment to buy in?   

Do you participate in the Inland Empire REIA?