When single-family flips stall and multifamily occupancy slips, where do experienced operators turn? Michael Hoang returns to The Self-Directed Edge to explain why he stepped back from both single-family and multifamily, and why purpose-built, new construction co-living in Houston has become his focus.

Host Joel Landon and Michael unpack the difference between converted "grandma's house" rentals operating in a gray area and co-living homes designed from the ground up, with plumbing, electrical, and permitting built to support every resident. Michael shares his view on record housing inventory in Houston, mortgage rates above 7%, and why he now looks at affordability, occupancy, and cash flow over appreciation and exit timing.

The conversation also covers:

• How local zoning changes in Houston opened the door for purpose-built co-living
• Who is renting these rooms today, from graduate students to traveling nurses and more
• Why some private lenders are moving from debt positions to equity positions as the market shifts
• A striking comparison between co-living supply in Atlanta and Houston
• Questions self-directed IRA investors may want to ask when capital comes back from a previous deal

Whether you are curious about alternative real estate strategies or want a closer look at how market cycles shape asset class decisions, this episode offers a ground-level perspective from an operator who lives within driving distance of his properties.

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, accounting, or investment advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making any financial decisions.

You've found the investment and your IRA is funded. So what actually happens next? In this episode of The Self-Directed Edge, host Joel Landon sits down with Heritage IRA's Adria Gomez to walk through the buy direction letter process, also known as the investment purchase process. Adria has been with Heritage IRA since the very beginning and brings years of quality control experience from the self-directed IRA industry.

Adria explains what happens from first contact to funds being wired, why the online client portal is typically the fastest route, and what it takes to hit the one to two business day funding goal. She also shares the most common reason investments get delayed: investor information on the investment documents that doesn't follow the required IRA naming convention.

The conversation wraps with a real example from Heritage IRA's compliance review, where a proposed deal involved an investor's son serving as general partner. Adria and Joel explain why that made him a disqualified person, how catching the prohibited transaction protected the investor's Roth IRA, and why knowing the rules before you invest matters.

In this episode:

• What a buy direction letter is and why it's required
• Client portal vs. paper submissions
• Disqualified persons, prohibited transactions, and more

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, accounting, or investment advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making any financial decisions.

Real estate investor Michael Hoang returns to The Self-Directed Edge to break down an asset class that is gaining traction in today's market: new construction, purpose-built co-living. Host Joel Landon and Michael explore how this model differs from converting older single-family homes into rent-by-the-room properties, and why building from the ground up changes the equation.

Michael walks through a project in Houston, Texas, where eased zoning and strong demand for affordable housing have created a favorable environment for co-living. Each property features private suites with attached bathrooms, shared kitchens and laundry, and all utilities included, designed for residents like graduate students, recent grads, and traveling medical professionals.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How purpose-built co-living differs from converted single-family properties
• Why Houston's zoning environment and inner-loop location matter for this model
• The five phases of a new construction co-living build, from permitting to lease-up
• How reserves, fixed-rate financing, and conservative underwriting factor into risk management
• Key market, construction, financial, and operational risks to understand

Whether you are new to alternative assets or looking to understand how different real estate strategies fit into a self-directed IRA, this conversation offers a practical look at a niche many investors have never considered.

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, accounting, or investment advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making any financial decisions.

In this episode of The Self-Directed Edge, host Joel Landon sits down with Heritage IRA team member Matthew Furmanek for a conversation on retirement planning through the eyes of a 22-year-old. Matthew shares what pushed him to start saving in his early twenties, the habits that make early contributions worthwhile, and why the people around you can shape whether you take that first step.

The conversation also breaks down IRA fundamentals for listeners just getting started, including the difference between traditional and Roth IRAs, current contribution limits, and the range of alternative asset classes self-directed investors can explore, such as precious metals, real estate, small business funding, and more.

Whether you're early in your career or just curious how a younger investor thinks about retirement, this episode offers a grounded, real-world take on starting early and letting time do the work.

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, accounting, or investment advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making any financial decisions.

Joel Landon is joined by returning guest Avram Shabanyan for part two of their conversation on non-recourse lending inside a self-directed retirement account. This episode goes beyond the basics to focus on how real deals come together, covering loan-to-value ratios, debt service coverage calculations, amortization terms, and the difference between fixed and adjustable rate structures.

Avram breaks down what makes non-recourse lending different from a traditional mortgage, why the retirement account itself is the borrower, and how flexible underwriting can open doors for investors that a one-size-fits-all lender might close. Listeners will hear real numbers and real scenarios that illustrate how leverage, cash flow, and property value work together in a self-directed real estate deal.

Whether you are new to the concept or looking for a deeper dive after part one, this conversation offers a practical look at how retirement funds can be structured to acquire income-producing real estate.

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, accounting, or investment advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making any financial decisions.

What does it actually mean to self-direct your retirement account? In this episode, host Joel Landon sits down with Heritage IRA CEO Mark Furmanek for a back to basics conversation on the fundamentals of self-directed IRAs.

Mark brings over 15 years of experience on the traditional brokerage side before transitioning into the alternative asset space, giving him a unique perspective on both worlds. Together, he and Joel break down the common misconceptions around the term "self-directed," clarify which account types (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, and qualified plans) can be used, and explain how contributions and conversions work within these accounts.

The conversation also dives into checkbook control IRAs, how they function, when they make sense, and a cautionary real world example of how quickly a well intentioned decision can turn into a prohibited transaction. Mark closes out with an overview of IRS Code 4975 and the do's and don'ts every self-directed IRA owner should understand.

Whether you're new to self-directed investing or have had an account for years, this episode offers a clear, jargon-free refresher on how these accounts really work.

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, accounting, or investment advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making any financial decisions.

Joel Landon sits down with Jason Kish, a Heritage IRA client and commercial real estate professional at Rise 48 Equity, to talk through his personal path from a single traditional 401k to building a diversified portfolio with a self-directed IRA. Jason shares how growing up in a disciplined, single income household shaped his approach to money, how he got started in real estate investing, and what led him to move retirement funds out of the S&P 500 and into alternative assets like apartment syndications and private lending on fix and flip deals. He also walks through what the account opening and transfer process actually looked like from a client's perspective, including working with the Heritage IRA team and navigating the client portal.

Highlights include:

• Jason's background and how his family's financial discipline shaped his investing mindset
• Why he moved retirement funds from a 401k into a self-directed IRA
• His experience investing in apartment syndications and private lending for fix and flip deals
• What to know about self-directed IRA rules and staying compliant
• A first hand walkthrough of the account transfer and funding process
• Jason's perspective on inflation and long term investing

*This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, accounting, or investment advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making any financial decisions.

The "five-year rule" is one of the most misunderstood phrases in IRA planning, and it doesn't just mean one thing. In this episode, host Joel Landon sits down with JP Ruiz of Ruiz Consulting, a longtime educator in the self-directed retirement industry, to unpack the three distinct ways this rule shows up: Roth earnings, Roth conversions, and inherited IRA distributions.

Joel and JP break down how the five-year clock applies to tax-free Roth earnings, how it works differently for conversions, and how the rules for inherited accounts changed dramatically after the SECURE Act of 2019, including the shift from a five-year window to a 10-year rule for most non-spouse beneficiaries. They also cover how required minimum distributions factor into inherited accounts, and why the age at which an IRA holder passes away can change a beneficiary's entire distribution timeline.

Whether you're planning your own Roth strategy or have inherited a retirement account and aren't sure what your options are, this episode offers a clear, plain-language breakdown of a topic that trips up even experienced investors.

In this episode:

• What the "five-year rule" actually refers to (it's three different rules)
• How the five-year clock applies to Roth IRA earnings
• The five-year rule for Roth conversions
• Inherited IRAs: the shift from the five-year rule to the 10-year rule post-SECURE Act
• Designated beneficiaries vs. spousal beneficiaries
• How required minimum distributions affect inherited account timelines
• Penalties for missing distribution deadlines (and how SECURE Act 2.0 changed them)

The Self-Directed Edge is hosted by Joel Landon of Heritage IRA. Listen to every episode at ghl.heritageira.com/tsde, or find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible.

*This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, accounting, or investment advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making any financial decisions.

Self-directed IRA investors exploring alternative assets often ask how real estate equity investments actually work in practice; how funds move, what timelines look like, and how tax treatment differs from more familiar debt-based investments. In this episode of the Self-Directed Edge podcast, host Joel Landon and returning guest Michael Hoang break down co-living real estate investing as one such option, focusing on the mechanics rather than the pitch.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Debt vs. equity investing; how the two approaches differ in structure, return type, and typical hold periods within a self-directed IRA
• How co-living projects are structured, including typical equity raise sizes and the use of a real estate investment club model through the Fractional platform
• Accredited and non-accredited investor eligibility for this investment structure
• How self-directed IRA funds move through a transaction, from initial commitment to funding, without passing through the sponsor directly
• Depreciation and tax treatment for equity investors, and how it may apply differently to retirement account holders versus individual investors
• Typical distribution timelines on a multi-year hold, and how a sell-or-refinance decision point is generally structured
• A preview of land-home package investing and FHA-qualifying financing strategies, covered in an upcoming episode

Featured Guest: Michael Hoang, real estate investor and returning guest on the Self-Directed Edge podcast, focused on co-living and alternative residential real estate strategies.

This episode is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice. Self-directed IRA investors should evaluate any opportunity, including this one, based on their own goals, timeline, and risk tolerance, and consult a qualified professional as needed.

For more on how self-directed IRAs work with alternative assets, visit www.heritageira.com.

What if the retirement dollars you already have could stretch three times further?

On this episode of The Self-Directed Edge, host Joel Landon sits down with Avram Shabanyan, head of the self-directed department at Solera National Bank and creator of its non-recourse lending program, to break down how self-directed investors use financing to grow their real estate portfolios without ever touching personal credit.

Avram explains how non-recourse lending works inside an IRA or Solo 401k: no personal financial statements, no W-2s, no tax returns. Because the loan isn't personally guaranteed, lenders evaluate the deal based on the property itself, not the borrower. That distinction opens the door to leverage that many investors don't realize is available to them.

The conversation walks through a real example: $250,000 in IRA capital, stretched through a 75% loan-to-value structure, can reach nearly $800,000 in purchasing power. That's the difference between one property and a duplex, triplex, or quadplex generating multiple income streams.
Listeners will get a clear picture of:

• What actually qualifies as non-recourse lending in the retirement space
• Which property types are eligible (turnkey one to four family, plus five-plus unit commercial)
• How rates and terms compare across 7/1, 10/1, and 25-year products
• Why every dollar, from appraisal to closing costs, must flow through the IRA to stay compliant
• What the reserve requirements look like and why they matter

Whether you're weighing your first self-directed real estate purchase or looking to expand an existing portfolio, this episode lays out a financing strategy most investors never knew their retirement account could access.

Listen now on The Self-Directed Edge.

Here's the episode description ready to paste into Buzzsprout:

In the inaugural episode of The Self-Directed Edge, Joel Landon sits down with Nick Stromwall, fund manager and capital raiser at Rise 48 Equity, to break down what is actually moving in the multifamily real estate market right now.

Nick brings 20 years of real estate experience and oversees more than 12,000 units across Phoenix, Dallas, and North Carolina. In this conversation, he shares why he believes the next 12 to 18 months could be one of the best buying cycles for multifamily in recent memory, how Rise 48 evaluates and acquires properties, and what self-directed IRA and Solo 401(k) investors should understand before putting retirement capital into commercial real estate.

In this episode:

The shift toward operational value add and how scale creates an edge Why the next 12 to 18 months may be a historic buying opportunity in multifamily The three ways multifamily generates returns for investors What Rise 48 looks for before acquiring a property How Rise 48 approaches downside protection and capital preservation Why community at the property level improves financial performance How self-directed IRAs and Solo 401(k)s can access multifamily syndications

This episode is educational in nature. Heritage IRA does not provide investment, tax, or legal advice. Consult your CPA or financial advisor before making investment decisions.