Many Americans depend on the assumption that they will be able to retire one day, but we’re seeing more and more retirees still working full time past their retirements — about one quarter of them. Not only do some Americans have to work well into their retirements, many people do not feel that they will be able to retire comfortably and believe that they will have to work until the age of 80 before they will be able to full retire.

There are a number of ways to prepare for and ensure that you will be able to have a comfortable retirement. Popular choices for this purpose are investing, opening a 401 (k), or opening an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). An IRA is a particularly attractive option because certain types of them get tax breaks, and you can still invest the money in the IRA. If you have a self directed IRA, you will be able to invest those funds however you see fit.

One smart way to invest your IRA is to buy real estate that will generate income. The only way to do this is with IRA non recourse loans. Nonrecourse loans are secured loans for which the collateral is real property. The non recourse loan agreement is basically this: if the borrower defaults on the loan, the non recourse lender can only seize that property; the borrower is not personally responsible.

Self directed IRA lending can allow you to purchase a piece of income property like a multi family home or other residential property, commercial property, or agricultural land. Any of these has the potential to create a source of income to not only pay back the IRA non recourse loan, but to help you fund your retirement so that you can rest easy.