Following is how the ROBS 401k works: Because you directly rollover your IRA or former employer 401k, 403b, Keogh, SEP, SIMPLE, or other eligible account, to your new ROBS 401k  plan, which then funds your business, you incur no taxes or early distribution penalties.Unlike traditional 401k plans that allow for a 401k participant loan, that is, borrow up to 50% of the account balance not to exceed $50,000, the ROBS 401k for business financing plan allows you to use all of your retirement funds to fund your start-up business.The ROBS 401k funded corporation allows you to draw a reasonable salary from the business.ERISA 408(e), and ERISA Reg. 2550.408 list information regarding the use of 401k funds to invest in employer stock of the employer’s corporation.The IRS formally commented on the use of 401k business funds on Oct 1, 2008 by issuing IRS memo commenting that the use of retirement funds is not disallowed but continue to be reviewed by the IRS.The use of retirement funds for business funding entails the 401k purchasing stock shares in a C-Corporation.

Yes you could pull those funds out of the 401k now to invest in your own name, but you will have to pay taxes and penalties on the amount you distribute prematurely which would not be wise thing to do.

It is the only entity structure whose rules allow the business owner to take a “reasonable salary” (subject to social security and medicare) and then take the remaining profit (often as much as 50% of the remaining income) out as distributions not subject to self-employment taxes.

So the sponsor participates in the 70% along side of the private investors according to how much of the down payment they participate in plus the sponsor gets the remaining 30%.Many of the structures are more complicated than this with a priority of how cash flows are distributed but I kept it simple here.

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;Both 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.)

Keep in mind, however, that when you pay your 401k payments are made with after-tax funds which means you will have to pay taxes on the interest payments when ultimately distributed form the 401k, usually at retirement. 

I have an initial goal of attaining $3,000 per month ($36k annually) in income derived from real estate investments in order to supplement my full-time job.To kickstart this post, I thought I'd ask some questions to the community that I've been pondering over the course of my real estate education:First, market timing: I have the sense that the Dallas market has been on the upswing for the past several years, accelerating even more rapidly since the announcement of several major companies (including Toyota) moving to Plano.  

If you send me your email address I'll add you the the distribution list for the monthly announcement as well.

The Corp reports it as a sale of the property held long term and then the distribution of it as well. 

Workload distribution and accountability.