Bloomberg news reported today that a California film producer says that retirement money (through a Self-Directed IRA) may provide individuals the opportunity to ”play movie mogul!”

Unified Pictures founder and producer Keith Kjarval is seeking funds from Individual Retirement Accounts to help finance his productions, including the soon-to-be released “J-23” and the pre-production “55 Holly Star.”

Kjarval says he’s offering an alternative for people dissatisfied with traditional investment returns such as stock orbond mutual funds. Self-directed IRAs have been used to fund new businesses, invest in real estate, commodities, and now even a small piece of Hollywood.

The IRA option “makes it more attractive for people once they’ve made the decision,” said Kjarval, 34, whose company is based in Northridge, California. “It opens up an entirely different door to them.”

Not following the rules for self-directed IRAs can result in an immediate 10 percent penalty, plus taxes on the amount withdrawn. Consequently, you need to find a custodian familiar with self-directed IRAs to handle the paperwork and manage the funds. That helps avoid the biggest pitfall, “self-dealing,” or using the investment in some way that gives you a short-term benefit.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service rules are designed to encourage and protect long-term investments. If you use a portion of an IRA in a prohibited transaction such as investing in collectables and life-insurance contracts, the IRS will treat the violation as a premature IRA withdrawal, meaning your entire IRA

Kjarval says he’s upfront about the risks facing potential investors. He says many backers typically have more than $10 million of assets and many, but not all, know the movie business.“J-23” was one-quarter financed with retirement money. Unified has three films in production and three have been completed and
licensed overseas, according to Kjarval. One of the films has been released in the U.S. The producer says he’s preparing reports on how the films have done as investments.

Stay tuned…..

Rating Agenices? With today’s Wall Street Journal asking “How badly do the major credit-rating agencies have to perform before investors stop using their services?”!

Corporate CEOs? With scandal after scandal after scandal!

Stock brokers? With of course - your own best financial interests in mind - at all times!

If you’re suffering over the volatility and performance of your stock, bond and mutual fund investments!

If you’re searching for safer, more reliable alternatives to the “traditional investment” status quo!

We strongly suggest that you heed the words of the great Ralph Waldo Emerson - “No one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourself.”

Alternative Investing can provide you with the control, reliability, principal protection, transparency, tax-deferral characteristics, diversification and flexibility to more successfully address your wealth-building investment objectives and retirement needs.

Alternative investing refers to a broad range of investment assets that are “non-correlated” to the price-movement of stocks and bonds. Commercial real estate, franchises and stock in private companies are a few examples of alternative investment assets. Stocks, bonds and mutual funds are known as “traditional investment” assets.

AltBridge provides objective, unbiased, information on alternative investing. For those curious to find out more about the benefits of alternative investing or for assistance with specific questions - AltBridge offers a network of knowledgable, third-party, Professional Service Providers, searchable by location and specialization - at no charge to you!

While both candidates purport to be agents of “political change” - the only economic platform either can muster is driven by their plans to either lower (as in the case with John McCain) or to raise (as is the case with Barack Obama) - (no surprise) taxes!

What about an alternative platform agenda of first addressing the government waste and innefficiency baked into the current tax cake? How can we allow either party to continue to obfuscate systemic flaws in our tax (and political) system by taking the easy way out? How can we allow political leaders to take the audacious and irresponsible position of “looking outward” (towards taxpayers) for answers to today’s economic quagmire - verses the more painful (and responsible) process of introspecting about the entire political and tax system - and their onerous economic implications.

At AltBridge we’re all about objective, unbiased information and intelligent alternatives to the staus quo - even as it applies to the world of politics. AltBridge was inspired by those of us who can no longer endure the volatility, limitations and performance of our stock, bond and mutual fund investments - those of us who have grown tired of Wall Street’s self-serving, fee and commission generating rhetoric - those of us appalled by the endless supply of corporate scandal - those of us concerned about the continued viability of Social Security - those of us searching for alternatives to the “traditional investment” status quo - those of us seeking more control in our investments and our lives!

AltBridge is the premier objective, unbiased, information resource on alternative investing. For those curious to find out more about the benefits of alternative investing - AltBridge offers a network of knowledgable, third-party, Professional Service Providers.

www.AltBridge.com

Evidently, “Wall Street equity capital market professionals– the ones responsible for pricing IPOs. When it came to their personal accounts, they never saw a share they liked.” or so reports Evan Newmark in his “Mean Street - the Secret of My Investing Success” article appearing in today’s (6.05.08) Wall Street Journal.

“Their Problem” (as Newmark points out in his article) is that “They were the line foremen at the giant Wall Street sausage factory. They knew what went into the sausages, how they were cured, packaged and sold–and wanted no part of it.”

The article focuses on the value of “Index Funds” and points out the glaring “gobbledygook of buried expenses and fees”, “inappropriate benchmarks”, “incomprehensible”, “blended returns”, that “well-respected money-management firm(s)” employ today.

I reference the WSJ article to bring to your attention yet another one of Wall Street’s -do as I say, not as I do - duplicitous sales mantras!

In addition to evaluating Index Funds - I encourage you to find out more about alternative investing - and how - self-directed IRAs - for example, can provide you with powerful, wealth-building dynamics - with assets you (and not Wall Street) control!

How can you find out more about self-directed IRAs and other aspects of alternative investing?

AltBridge.com provides unbiased information on alternative investing and access to a network of third-party, Professional Service Providers who can help.

Have you ever considered a retirement account option that can actually reduce your exposure to stock market volatility & uncertainty? How about a retirement account that enables you to invest in tangible assets with increased principal protection and reduces your exposure to corporate scandal? Have you ever considered or even heard about a self-directed IRA? If you have a stock broker, money manager or retirement plan provider - probably not!

Why? Wall Street broker dealers, money managers and retirement plan providers are compensated by selling only those investments and investment products offered by their firms - stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Consequently, they have a vested financial interest not to discuss the powerful, wealth-building capacity of self-directed IRAs! 

A self-directed IRA enables investment in real estate including commercial properties, raw land, rental properties, mobile homes, tax-liens, tax certificates, billboards, boat slips, condominiums, trust deeds and mortgages. Entrepreneurs can use their self-directed IRA for initial, start-up capital!

Would you like to find out more? www.AltBridge.com provides information on self-directed IRAs plus access to a network of Professional Solution Providers!