My husband and I have a bunch of IRA funds some Roth, some regular, another 401k. We are both self employed, he is 44 and I am 48. We read a short article once on how we can have a bigger investment if we purchase property with it instead. We don't know how to go about this or who to consult about it. What type of professional would know A lot about this subject rather than just a little. Thank you for any help we can get.

I'm not an expert, but below are a couple of web sites to look at - the first two give some general information and advice, and the third is from a company you can actually work with to set up your self-directed IRA. Be very careful that you don't mix any of the transactions from your IRA with other accounts - all costs on this property must be borne by the IRA (for example, don't ever write a personal check for maintenance or insurance on the property, or you will have major tax headaches), and this must be investment property, not a vacation home or used by your business. Good luck!

Online Exclusive: Buy Real Estate in Your IRA (http://www.realtor.org/rmomag.NSF/pages/featuresept03ira)

Ground your retirement fund with real estate - MSN Money (http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/RealEstate/GroundYourRetirementFundWithRealEstate.aspx)

The Nation's Leading Real Estate IRA (http://www.guidantfinancial.com//info/realestate_ira.aspx?k=real%20estate%20ira%20purcha se&sid=6bd405a5-818e-43f5-8421-fc6a7b083a47&gclid=CK2Nmq7bxo8CFRGoGgoddyRsYQ)