This Member Started a Business to Put Rentals in Your IRA

Jaime Raskulinecz

CEO and Founder of Next Generation Trust Services; CEO of Rainbow Property Management; Certified Property Manager; New Jersey Licensed Real Estate Broker; Member of the Board of Trustees of Green Hill Inc.

Members Since 2014

David Baumann: Your greatest professional accomplishment is happening now – am I correct in that assessment?

Jaime Raskulinecz: Yes. My current company has been in business for about 14 years. We were an administration company for self-directed retirement plans. Now we’re forming our own trust company to become the administrator custodian so that we don’t need an outside source to work.

David Baumann: It seems like you found a need and you went after it. Am I right?

Jaime Raskulinecz: Yes. The reason I got involved in this business to begin with is that I’ve been a real estate investor for many years, and I asked a few of my advisors, “How can I put rental real estate in my retirement account?” And nobody knew what I was talking about.

David Baumann: How many companies are out there that do what you do? Is there anything in particular that sets yours apart?

Jaime Raskulinecz: Well, there’s a very small number of companies that do what we do. The difference between us and, say, Fidelity, is you can invest only in what Fidelity will sell you. And it’s typically stocks, bonds and mutual funds. With companies like mine, you can invest in anything with your retirement plan that the IRS says is allowable.

David Baumann: Well, it would seem to me that a lot of people would want rental real estate as part of their retirement accounts. Do you see a strong demand out there for that?

Jaime Raskulinecz: Most of our time is spent helping people put rental real estate in their IRAs. The simplest way to do it is to have the property deeded to your IRA.

People also sometimes invest in entities like limited partnerships or LLCs that are formed to hold the real estate assets. Then the LLC or partnership becomes part of the IRA.

David Baumann: To what do you attribute your success?

Jaime Raskulinecz: We were recognized in the state of New Jersey by a magazine called Real Estate New Jersey. We were spotlighted because when we started this business, we did (and still do) a lot of education. We want to let consumers and professionals know what is available to them and how they can take more control of their retirement. And a lot of that education was related to real estate in the beginning.

David Baumann: Is there a particular honor you’re most proud of?

Jaime Raskulinecz: Serving as a member of the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners is near and dear to my heart. While I’m not a member any longer, I’m still pretty involved with them. I host some of their events in my office and sponsor certain things that they’re holding so that more women in New Jersey have a chance at entrepreneurship and starting businesses. So I like that organization very much.

David Baumann: Do you have advice for young women entrepreneurs who are looking to get a start?

Jaime Raskulinecz: Well, I usually say two things. Tenacity is extremely important, and just keep working at it. If you believe it, you can do it. And the second thing – which is just as important – is that you must know that you will be the primary salesperson for your business when you start it.

David Baumann: Do you have a particular real estate investment that is your most valuable? One that you could not believe shot up in value like it did?

Jaime Raskulinecz: Many years ago, I went to Fort Lauderdale looking for a property to purchase strictly as a rental. I found a condo on the water and didn’t need to do anything to make it rentable. After renting it for a little over a year, I called my friend and said, “Let’s look for another renter; the lease is up.” And he said, “Well, I think that I can sell it. And I think I could sell it for at least a 30% profit.” I think that unit sold within a month at the profit he told me.

David Baumann: I see you’re also an avid wine collector. Do you have a particular wine investment that shot up in value and surprised you?

Jaime Raskulinecz: Oh my goodness, I have one of those, too. Paul Hobbs is a very well-known winemaker in California, and he developed a partnership with a winery in either Argentina or Chile.

I frequented a restaurant not too far from my office, and we always used to trade tips on wines. And so they said, “You really must buy this Malbec from Paul Hobbs.” I tasted it and it was really good, so I think I paid somewhere around $100 a bottle for the wine, and I got three or four bottles. Within 10 years, the value of the wine was more than $300.

David Baumann: So, Jaime, do you have a favorite bottle?

Jaime Raskulinecz: You know, I’ve been drinking wine and collecting it for a while, and my tastes change over time. Probably still my favorite bottle is a Bordeaux called Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande.

David Baumann: You’re also a Pillar One Advisor. What can you tell us about the synergy Pillar One has with The Oxford Club?

Jaime Raskulinecz: Well, I probably haven’t utilized it to its fullest. I’ve been able to attend only one event so far because the Pillar One membership for me came later in my involvement with the Club.

That said, it’s a wonderful resource to have because you can find people who do almost anything there.

David Baumann: Do you happen to recall when you decided to join The Oxford Club and why?

Jaime Raskulinecz: I’d been looking at Oxford Club publications for quite a while. I think I subscribed to one or two of the newsletters and then I saw how many other ones there were. Within a month or two, I became a Chairman’s Circle Member to have access to everything.

I have somebody who advises me when it comes to traditional investments, but I also wanted the opportunity to try to do some of this myself. That was kind of the primary impetus behind joining. I now invest in a couple of the different portfolios and have been pretty successful with it.

David Baumann: Thanks so much for joining us, Jaime. I hope to see you soon.