Since the concept of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) was introduced in 1974, there’s been a lot of misunderstanding about how they work and what types of investments are eligible to be held.

From a strictly legal perspective, there are very few things that an IRA owner is prohibited from investing in with their retirement account. In fact, the IRS code only identifies life insurance and collectibles as prohibited investments.  However, because such accounts must be held by third party custodians, it didn’t take long for banks and stock brokerage companies to realize that if they would act as the custodian, they could effectively limit what was offered through such accounts to only those investments which generated profits for them. In fact, custodial services are often offered by such firms for free or for fees so small that they don’t even cover the related administrative costs.

For the past ten years, NuView IRA, along with immense help from our friends, has been raising funds for Chair the Love – a Florida based 501(c)3 whose mission is to provide wheelchairs and mobility related items and services to those in need locally and abroad. Through discharge nurses at local hospitals, supporting paralyzed vets, and utilizing Non-Governmental Organizations in Central and South America, our employees and clients have made a tremendous difference in thousands of lives. 

Whether it’s the lure of an affordable beachfront condo, or a hillside villa, more Americans are choosing to live either partially or fully outside the country now more than ever.  Central America, including Costa Rica, has seen a sharp increase in growth of expats.  According to an article quoting the US Ambassador to Costa Rica in 2017, over 100,000 Americans now live in Costa Rica alone.

Alternative Investments Are Becoming More Common in Diversified Portfolios

A recent PEW Charitable Trusts study shows a sharp rise in alternative asset investment (ex., private equity, venture capital, or real estate) over the past decade among large pension and trust investors. From 2006 to 2016, funds have more than doubled their allocation to alternative investments[1]. These large fund professional managers are capitalizing on the return and correlation characteristics of this asset class.  A recent trend in this class has been an increase in the relative percentages of private equity and venture capital as compared to real estate holdings.

Freedom.  Happiness.  Adventure.  Mmm.  Three of my favorite words.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say, “Yeah, you know what, Chris?  I’d like less of those in my life.  Tell me:  How can I make that happen?”