Education center
Everything you need to understand private markets, pursue long-term financial goals and invest in alternatives with confidence.
Fund private investments with retirement capital
Facilitate alternative allocations for clients, raise capital by opening your offering to IRA investors, or bring a deal – whether it’s on behalf of a client, one you've sourced yourself, or one from a fund manager you already work with. Many of these structures can't be held by a traditional custodian, but that’s exactly what Alto’s built for.
Bring retirement capital to your platform
Enable retirement-account investing directly within your platform through Alto’s infrastructure. Expand investor access and unlock new fundraising pathways for your users and partners.
Alternative investing fundamentals
Understand alternative investing
Alternative investments generally fall into several broad categories. Each includes multiple strategies and structures with unique return profiles and portfolio roles.
Private equity
Investments in privately held companies across different stages of development, from growth stage to pre-IPO.
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Venture capital
Funding early-stage startups with high growth potential to power key initiatives like product development, hiring or company expansion.
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Angel investors
Early-stage investing in startups, often before institutional capital enters, with the potential for significant upside if the company grows.
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Pre-IPO
Investing in companies ahead of a public offering, typically at a later stage of private market development than venture capital.
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Private credit
Direct lending to companies that provide income through interest payments.
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Understanding self-directed IRAs
How private market investing works
Invest in private markets for a resilient retirement
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FAQs
Traditional IRA: Tax-deferred retirement account where contributions may be tax-deductible, and earnings grow tax-deferred until withdrawal.
SEP IRA: Stands for Simplified Employee Pension IRA, ideal for self-employed individuals or small business owners to save for retirement with potentially higher contribution limits.
Roth IRA: Retirement account funded with after-tax dollars, offering tax-free growth and – subject to IRS rules – withdrawals during retirement, with potential income limitations for contribution.
This still leaves plenty of alternative investment choices. Alto has built tools into its platform to help you avoid prohibited investments, though it's always wise to consult a tax professional before moving forward with an investment.
Investing in alternatives with an Alto self-directed IRA means you can legally minimize and potentially even eliminate taxes altogether. In Traditional and SEP IRAs, taxes are typically deferred on gains until withdrawal. When investing with a Roth IRA, qualified withdrawals are generally tax-free, with applicable IRS rules to consider.
Investing with a self-directed IRA also gives you access to capital that is otherwise locked away until later in life. This means you can strategically align the long term time horizon of capital earmarked for retirement and alternative assets that have longer than typical commitment periods – an investing match made in duration heaven.
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