A brokerage IRA
- Stocks and bonds
- Mutual funds and ETFs
- Other investments the provider permits
A familiar way to invest for retirement. Available assets depend on the provider.[1]
SELF-DIRECTED IRAs · A DIFFERENT INVESTMENT MENU
Your next investment may start with capital you already have.
An IRA or old 401(k) may offer more possibilities than you realize. Learn how eligible retirement funds can access private investments through a self-directed IRA—and explore whether an opportunity with Capital Advisors deserves a closer look.[1,2]
A complimentary 15-minute introduction. No account transfer or investment commitment required to have a conversation.
Private investments can be illiquid and may lose all invested capital. Account eligibility and tax consequences require independent review.
Start with education.Understand the account before the opportunity.
Run your own numbers.Explore an allocation without sharing your balance.
Decide without pressure.The next step is a conversation, not a transfer.
BEFORE YOU RULE YOURSELF OUT
“I need more cash” may not be the first question.
Start with a different one: What can my existing retirement account actually invest in? Explore the answer before deciding whether to pursue a private investment.
This is not about emptying your savings or moving your entire retirement account. It is about understanding another possible path—and deciding whether it fits your long-term plan.
“I have retirement savings.
That is the conversation this page is designed to help you begin. No experience with self-directed IRAs is needed to ask better questions.
Could they participate in private real estate?”
SELF-DIRECTED IRA, EXPLAINEDA different investment menu.
COMMON BROKERAGE MENU EXPANDED CUSTODIAL MENU
A different investment menu.
Not a different set of responsibilities.
“Self-directed” describes the custodian's expanded investment options. A self-directed IRA may be traditional or Roth; it is not a separate tax exemption.[1,5]
A self-directed IRA
- Certain private real estate investments
- Certain private funds and equity
- Certain private notes
A broader menu with additional responsibilities. Custodian acceptance is not an endorsement of an investment.[1]
“Unlock” means exploring investment access—not cashing out. An eligible, properly completed same-tax-treatment transfer or rollover can avoid a current taxable withdrawal. Taking money personally or converting pre-tax funds to Roth can have different consequences. Confirm the exact transaction with your custodian and tax advisor.[2,5]
PUT THE POSSIBILITIES IN PERSPECTIVE
Your inputs stay in this browser.Your retirement capital explorer.
Choose a balance and a hypothetical allocation. Then explore how your own assumptions change the math—not what any investment will earn.
Illustration only—not advice, a forecast, or a guarantee. Allocation = entered balance × selected percentage. The optional scenario applies a constant annual return, reinvests all returns, and deducts the entered flat fee at each year-end. Values and paid fees are floored/capped at available funds; unfunded obligations are not modeled. No new contributions, withdrawals, required distributions, inflation, taxes (including UBIT), or unentered fees are modeled. The rest of your account is not projected. Actual private investments can have irregular cash flows, no reinvestment opportunity, delays, and total loss. This is not a fund IRR calculator or an available-capital determination.
FROM CURIOSITY TO AN INFORMED DECISIONUnderstand the path.
01 02 03 04
Understand the path.
Take one step at a time.
Ask about your account.
Confirm the account type and transfer or distribution eligibility with the current provider. Do not assume every old or active 401(k) can move.[2]
Explore the investment.
Discuss Capital Advisors' strategy and request the applicable offering materials. Review eligibility, costs, risks, hold period, and IRA acceptance before committing.
Review the structure.
Choose an independent custodian and consult your own tax and legal advisors. Discuss transfer mechanics, prohibited transactions, and potential IRA-level taxes.[2,3,4]
Direct your IRA—only if appropriate.
After independent review, coordinate approved subscription, titling, and funding instructions with your custodian and the offering team. Your IRA, not you personally, holds the investment.[3,5]
Transfers and investment review take time. No processing timeline or investment acceptance is promised. Capital Advisors does not hold or administer your retirement account.
YOUR DISCOVERY CALL WITH CAPITAL ADVISORS15 minutes.
15 minutes.
Your questions.
A clearer next step.
Interested in South Texas real estate development, but unsure how retirement capital fits into the conversation? Start here.
Book a Discovery CallThe booking page lets you request a preferred time. A request is not a confirmed meeting until our team confirms it.
Understand the opportunity.
Discuss our development approach and the materials you would need to evaluate a potential investment.
Separate the investment from the account.
Identify which questions belong with the offering team and which require your custodian or independent advisors.
Leave with a next-step checklist.
Clarify what to review next—or decide this is not the right direction. There is no obligation to invest or move funds.
Availability, minimums, investor eligibility, and acceptance of IRA funds depend on each offering. Having an IRA does not waive investor-qualification requirements.
KNOW THIS BEFORE MOVING MONEYMore choices.
More choices.
Real responsibilities.
Retirement capital is still at risk.
Private investments may be difficult to value or sell, and you can lose your entire investment. Fees can be higher. Plan for liquidity and required distributions where applicable.[1,6]
No personal-use shortcuts.
Personal use of IRA assets, self-dealing, personal guarantees, and certain dealings with disqualified persons can trigger serious tax consequences, including loss of IRA status.[3,7]
Custody is not due diligence.
A custodian generally administers assets; it does not validate an investment's quality or promised returns. Independently assess both the custodian and the investment.[1]
Important for development investors: an IRA can still owe tax.
Income from an operating business held through a partnership can produce unrelated business taxable income (UBTI); certain debt-financed income can also be taxable. This can affect traditional and Roth IRAs. An all-equity development structure does not automatically eliminate unrelated business income tax (UBIT). Ask an independent tax professional to review the specific offering, potential Form 990-T obligations, and cash needed for taxes.[4]
QUESTIONS WORTH ASKINGBefore the transfer.
Before the transfer.
Before the commitment.
You do not need all the answers to book a conversation. You do need the right answers before investing.
Book a Discovery CallCan I use an existing IRA or a former employer's 401(k)?
Possibly. Eligible IRA assets may transfer, and eligible plan distributions may roll into an IRA. Employer-plan terms matter; inherited accounts and SIMPLE IRAs have special rules. Confirm your exact account before initiating anything.[2,5]
Do I need to cash out my retirement account?
No cash-out is required just to explore this path. Ask about an eligible trustee-to-trustee transfer or direct rollover. A payment made to you personally may create withholding, deadlines, and tax consequences.[2]
Is a self-directed IRA always tax-free?
No. Traditional IRA distributions are generally taxable; qualified Roth distributions may be tax-free. Roth qualification rules, conversions, prohibited transactions, and potential IRA-level business taxes still matter.[4,5,6]
Where would investment distributions go?
Distributions from an IRA-owned investment generally return to the IRA through its custodian—not directly to your personal checking account. Any later withdrawal from the IRA is a separate transaction with its own rules.[3,6]
Do I have to move my entire account?
Not necessarily. A partial transfer may be possible, subject to provider rules, asset transferability, and costs. This page and its sample allocation do not recommend how much of your retirement savings to invest.[5]
Does every Capital Advisors opportunity accept IRA funds?
Do not assume so. Acceptance is offering-specific and subject to documents, investor qualification, custodian requirements, and tax/legal review. Your discovery call can identify the materials and questions relevant to an available opportunity.
Does Capital Advisors open my IRA or provide tax advice?
No. We discuss our investment strategy and offering process. An independent custodian handles the account; your independent tax, legal, and investment professionals evaluate your circumstances. No custodian endorsement or partnership is implied.
Are the calculator's returns Capital Advisors projections?
No. The calculator is arithmetic based on your inputs. It starts with a 0% annual return assumption and allows negative assumptions. It does not model any specific fund, guarantee an outcome, or decide whether a transfer or investment is suitable.
THE FIRST MOVE IS A CONVERSATION.You worked to build your retirement capital.
You worked to build your retirement capital.
Understand what it could own.
Explore the process. Ask about our approach. Find out which questions to take to your custodian and advisors—before deciding whether to take another step.
Book Your Discovery CallComplimentary introduction · No obligation to invest · No account transfer needed to talk
Educational sources & further reading
Official educational resources reviewed September 25, 2026. Sources do not endorse Capital Advisors, any custodian, or any offering.
- SEC / NASAA / FINRA: Self-Directed IRAs and the Risk of Fraud
- IRS: Rollovers of retirement plan and IRA distributions
- IRS: Prohibited transactions
- IRS Publication 598: Unrelated business income, partnerships, and debt-financed income
- IRS Publication 590-A: IRA contributions, transfers, and rollovers
- IRS Publication 590-B: IRA distributions
- IRS: Retirement plan investments FAQs