Preface – We found a better way by Ron & Ann M. 

I retired in 2008. Stock market losses ate 50% of my life  savings. Hang in there for five or six years to hopefully break  even without touching one penny for withdrawals? Wait for  the next “buying opportunity?” No thanks, there has to be a  better way.

I round up the usual suspects: bank CD’s, annuities, ETF’s;  all with risk vs. reward. Maybe Hedge funds! No, I’m a few  million short of qualifying. Like Goldilocks, one is too hot,  one too cold, none just right.  

CD’s at 0.5% double my money in a mere 150 years – too  cold! Annuities confiscate my money forever; eat up 7%  invested on day one, and drizzle back 4% until I die-still too  cold. ETF’s put me back in the market- with only 7,000 fund  choices – plus a high sleepless night quotient- too hot for me.

I pause to think: Why can’t I be like the banker in my  childhood home town? All he did was loan out the bank’s  cash for interest, mostly for home mortgages. My folks got  one of his mortgages for $14,500 back in the day. That banker  lived in the biggest house, drove the fanciest car, built the  most impressive marble building, walked on the deepest  carpet and sat behind the largest mahogany desk made.  

Here I am in 2008 looking for someone successful so I can  do what they do. It hits me that what was old is new. The  banker made thousands just on my folk’s loan. His risk was  minimal. He’d done his homework. Worst case he’d get a fine house back. He doubled the banks money while collecting a  payment each month, all for lending to responsible people.  This strikes me as just right.  

My search leads me to self-directed IRA firms letting me  make loans using my IRA cash. Loans like the banker did,  only this time I’ll be the one to double my money. I kiss a few  frogs and then find Quest IRA just miles from me. We have  since done 40+ loans using them.  

We needed a responsible person(s) to loan to. At a Quest  mixer we meet Brant Phillips and do our due diligence. Our  assessment was that he has the highest level of integrity and  operates from a win -win basis. This has never wavered in our  10 years of doing business together during scores of loans. If  Brant tells you it’s so, you can take it to the bank–and we have.  

We have found the better way. Several examples in this  book are our loans. They provide a steady stream of “mailbox  money”. We sleep well knowing our cash plus interest will  return to us, all secured by homes. Homes that working families

live in; quality properties where local neighborhoods are  improved. We help Brant, his family and people be well  provided for. No Annuity or ETF match can match that.  

Is there a learning curve to know the steps in loaning your  money? Yes. Is there paperwork involved? Yes. Good carpenters say, measure twice, saw once. My advice, read this book twice.  Know you are in good hands. You have found the person who  is successful; do what he does- it’s all in this book!

When you have a big enough why, the how becomes  small. We just returned from three weeks in Hawaii and have  our next Costa Rica trip set, thanks to those interest checks.  As can you. We encourage you to take action.