What’s better for you: A self-directed IRA or a solo 401(k)? This is a critical and distinctly untrivial decision… particularly if you’re investing in real estate, syndications or any type of complex transactions. I’m Bryan Ellis. I’ll tell you how to make the right choice for you right now in episode #312.----Hello, self-directed investors, all across the fruited plane! Welcome to Self-Directed Investor Talk, the SHOW OF RECORD for savvy self-directed investors like YOU where each day, I help you to find, understand and PROFIT from exceptional alternative investment opportunities and strategies.I, of course, am your kind, lovable host, Bryan Ellis. Today we venture into the start of a new series that I call the “Choosing The Right Tool” Series wherein you’ll see rather clearly how to choose which type of account is right for you, because the answer is truly not the same for everyone.This, my friends, is episode #312. To hear the episode again or to read the transcript or enjoy the resources I mention on today’s show, feel free to visit SDITalk.com/312 and you’ll find it all there, available for you to freely enjoy with my complements.Before we jump in today, I have a quick announcement that’s very exciting! Next month, July of 2019, will see the publication of Issue #1 of a brand new magazine that’s being published by yours truly. It’s called Self-Directed Investor Magazine and if you enjoy this show – and come on… come on… you know you do! – hehehe if you enjoy the Self-Directed Investor Talk podcast, you’re going to LOVE Self-Directed Investor Magazine.Furthermore, it will be under the editorial control of my wife, Carole Ellis, so it will be GREAT. She didn’t get that job because we’re married. She’s got that job because she is the best there is for this task. She has VAST editorial experience, having been editor-in-chief for the well-respected journal called Research (published by the University of Georgia). She was also the editor in chief of Think Realty Magazine, a niche publication for individual real estate investors.   And she also had full control of my own real estate newsletter, the Bryan Ellis Investing Letter, and it’s subscribership of over 600,000 investors worldwide. Point is: Carole is a highly-regarded professional in the sphere of magazine editorial work and there’s literally no one I’d hire instead of her. I’m genuinely honored she’s decided to do this, and I know you’re going to enjoy the fruit of her effort too.And oh… by the way… would you like a free subscription to Self-Directed Investor Magazine? I mean… totally free? Well, I’ll tell you how to do that momentarily. But first:So which is right for you: A self-directed IRA or solo 401(k)? That’s a great and very important question, as you’ll begin to truly understand forthwith.First, let’s define exactly what I mean. When I say “self-directed IRA” or “solo 401(k)” or even the more generic “self-directed retirement account”, I’m referring generically – unless I say otherwise – to a retirement account that has nearly no limits on the types of investments you can make. This is in contrast to the term I coined for the other type of IRA which is the “captive” retirement account. Captive accounts are the ones provided by your bank or your company’s 401(k) plan or your stock brokerage company.  It’s not necessarily easy to know, just based on the name of the account, whether you’re using a “captive” account or a “self-directed” account because a lot of the companies that provide captive accounts still called them “self-directed” or something similar to that. So if you need to know which type you’re currently using, here’s a simple and very decisive test: Call up your retirement account provider and ask them this question: Can I use the money in my retirement account to purchase a herd of dairy cattle? If the answer is “yes”, you’ve got a self-directed account. If the answer is “no”, then you have a captive account. Easy-peasy.With that foundational question