Greater Houston REIA Monthly Main Meeting
Greater Houston REIA September Monthly Main Meeting
Saturday, September 12, 2026 • 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Residence Inn • 10421 Clay Rd, Houston, TX 77041
WHERE’S THE MONEY?
Have Money? Need Money? Discover How Retirement Money Can Be Used to Invest in Real Estate, Fund Deals & Build Wealth
Every real estate deal needs one thing:
MONEY.
Money to buy the property.
Money for the down payment.
Money for renovations.
Money to fund the deal.
And money looking for a place to earn a return.
Most investors immediately think about their own cash, their credit, banks, or hard money lenders.
But there’s another source of money many real estate investors don’t fully understand:
RETIREMENT MONEY.
IRAs. Roth IRAs. Old 401(k)s. Solo 401(k)s and other retirement accounts.
Depending on the account and applicable rules, retirement money can potentially invest outside of traditional Wall Street investments and into real estate, private loans, mortgage notes, syndications, private companies, and other alternative investments.
And that creates opportunities on both sides of a real estate deal.
Have retirement money? You may have more ways to put it to work than you realized.
Need money? There may be potential private lenders within your network whose retirement money can be used to fund real estate deals.
Want to become the lender? Your retirement account may potentially allow you to fund other investors’ deals instead of buying and managing the property yourself.
At the Greater Houston REIA September Monthly Main Meeting, we’re bringing in the experts from Directed IRA to help us understand how it works.
LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS AT DIRECTED IRA
Directed IRA specializes in helping investors self-direct retirement accounts into alternative investments—including real estate, private lending, promissory notes, private funds, private companies, and more.
More than 20,000 investors are self-directing accounts with Directed IRA, and the company operates through Directed Trust Company, a licensed and regulated trust company specializing in self-directed retirement accounts.
Directed IRA was founded by Mat Sorensen and Mark J. Kohler, two nationally recognized professionals in the self-directed retirement, tax, and legal planning space.
Sorensen, an attorney and CEO of Directed IRA, is the author of The Self-Directed IRA Handbook, which has sold more than 60,000 copies nationwide.
This isn’t someone simply talking about retirement accounts.
This is what Directed IRA does every day.
And they’re coming to Greater Houston REIA to help real estate investors understand how retirement money can potentially be put to work.
HOW MANY DEALS HAVE YOU PASSED ON BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T HAVE THE MONEY?
You found the deal.
But you didn’t have enough cash.
Maybe the bank wouldn’t make the loan.
Maybe the hard money numbers didn’t work.
Maybe you didn’t have enough money for the down payment or renovations.
Or maybe you simply assumed:
“I don’t have the money to do this deal.”
Meanwhile, there may be people already within your network who have money sitting inside retirement accounts and are looking for alternative ways to put that money to work.
THE PROBLEM MAY NOT BE THAT THE MONEY DOESN’T EXIST.
The Problem May Be That You Don’t Know Where to Look—or How the Rules Work.
And there’s another side to this.
Maybe YOU have money sitting inside an IRA or old 401(k).
Maybe you’re interested in real estate but don’t want another rental.
Maybe you don’t want tenants, contractors, renovations, maintenance calls, or another property to manage.
Maybe you’d rather:
BE THE LENDER.
You can’t take advantage of an option you don’t know exists.
That’s why understanding retirement money matters.
BY THE END OF THIS MEETING, WE WANT YOU LOOKING AT MONEY DIFFERENTLY.
When you find a deal, you’ll understand more places the money could potentially come from.
When you have retirement money, you’ll understand more ways it could potentially be put to work.
When you’re interested in private lending, you’ll better understand how retirement accounts can potentially fund real estate deals.
And when you meet someone with retirement money, you’ll better understand how people, money, relationships, and real estate opportunities can come together.
This isn’t just about learning what an IRA is.
IT’S ABOUT UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE MONEY IS.
THREE WAYS TO LOOK AT RETIREMENT MONEY
1. HAVE MONEY? INVEST IT.
Maybe you have an IRA.
Maybe you have an old 401(k) from a previous employer.
Maybe you’re self-employed and want to better understand your retirement options.
Or maybe you simply didn’t realize your retirement money could potentially do more than invest in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.
We’ll explore how certain retirement accounts can potentially invest in:
- Real estate
- Private loans
- Mortgage notes
- Syndications
- Private companies
- Other alternative investments
You’ll also learn how different retirement accounts work, how they can be structured around your goals, and the important rules you need to understand before putting that money to work.
2. NEED MONEY? LEARN WHERE TO LOOK.
What happens when you find a great deal but don’t have all the money you need to close it?
Most investors immediately start looking for a bank or hard money lender.
But there’s another source every investor should understand:
PRIVATE MONEY.
People within your existing network may have retirement accounts and may be interested in privately lending on real estate.
We’ll explore how investors can build relationships with potential private lenders, how retirement accounts can potentially fund real estate loans, and what both sides of the transaction need to understand.
Because becoming better at real estate isn’t just about learning how to find deals.
It’s also about learning where the money for those deals can come from.
3. HAVE MONEY? BECOME THE LENDER.
You don’t necessarily have to own another property to participate in real estate.
Sometimes…
YOU CAN BE THE MONEY BEHIND THE DEAL.
Certain self-directed retirement accounts can potentially make private loans to real estate investors.
Instead of personally buying another rental or flip, your retirement account may potentially be able to fund someone else’s real estate deal.
We’ll explore:
- How retirement accounts can potentially make private loans
- How IRA-funded real estate loans work
- How loans may be secured by real estate
- How borrowers and private lenders work together
- How payments and returns flow back to the retirement account
- Important rules both sides need to understand
- How private lenders and investors looking for money can connect
For some investors, the opportunity is owning the real estate.
For others, the opportunity is being the money behind it.
You should understand both sides.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
We’ll cover:
- The different types of retirement accounts
- Traditional IRA vs. Roth IRA vs. Solo 401(k)
- Which retirement accounts can potentially invest in real estate
- How to structure retirement accounts around your goals
- How Self-Directed IRAs work
- Investing retirement money into real estate, notes, syndications, and other alternative investments
- Using retirement money for private lending
- How real estate investors can build relationships with potential private lenders
- How investors with retirement money can potentially become private lenders
- How private loans involving retirement accounts work
- Important rules and prohibited transactions
- Common mistakes investors need to avoid
- Real-world examples of retirement money being put to work
- Live Q&A with the Directed IRA team
“BUT I DON’T HAVE MUCH MONEY IN MY IRA.”
That’s okay.
This meeting isn’t only about your retirement account.
You may be the person with money looking for an investment.
You may be the investor with a deal looking for money.
You may want to become a private lender someday.
Or you may already know people with IRAs, old 401(k)s, and other retirement accounts who have never considered private lending or investing in real estate.
Whether you’re a new investor, landlord, flipper, wholesaler, private lender, multifamily investor, or simply looking for more ways to build wealth through real estate, understanding where money exists—and how it can legally participate in real estate—can make you a more resourceful investor.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE THE MONEY TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE MONEY IS.
YOUR NEXT PRIVATE LENDER MAY ALREADY BE IN YOUR NETWORK.
Think about the people you already know.
Business owners.
Realtors.
Contractors.
Coworkers.
Friends and family.
Other investors.
People who changed jobs years ago and still have money sitting in an old 401(k).
People who want exposure to real estate but have absolutely no desire to become landlords.
Some of these people may have retirement money they didn’t realize could potentially be used for private real estate lending.
Understanding how retirement money works can change the conversations you’re able to have.
It can help you recognize opportunities you may have previously walked right past.
THE DEAL MAY ALREADY BE THERE.
THE MONEY MAY ALREADY BE THERE.
The Missing Piece Could Be Knowing How to Connect the Two.
That’s where education matters.
That’s where relationships matter.
And that’s what Greater Houston REIA is about.
The next time you find an opportunity, instead of immediately thinking:
“I don’t have enough money.”
We want you asking:
“WHERE CAN THE MONEY COME FROM?”
And if you’re the person who already has money available:
“HOW CAN I PUT MY MONEY TO WORK?”
That’s the shift.
MORE THAN A KEYNOTE
The Greater Houston REIA Monthly Main Meeting isn’t just somewhere you come to listen to a presentation.
It’s where Houston’s real estate investing community comes together to:
Learn. Build relationships. Find opportunities. Find funding. Move deals forward.
Come early.
Grab some coffee and breakfast.
Meet landlords, wholesalers, flippers, private lenders, realtors, buyers, vendors, and other investors.
Bring your questions.
Bring your deals.
And build relationships.
Because sometimes the person who has what you need—or needs what you have—is already in the room.
JOIN US SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
Greater Houston REIA September Monthly Main Meeting
Featuring Directed IRA
Saturday, September 12, 2026
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Residence Inn
10421 Clay Rd
Houston, TX 77041
HAVE MONEY?
Learn how you may be able to put it to work.
NEED MONEY?
Learn about another potential source of money for your deals.
WANT TO BECOME THE LENDER?
Learn how retirement accounts can potentially be used to fund other investors’ real estate deals.
THE DEAL MAY ALREADY BE THERE.
THE MONEY MAY ALREADY BE THERE.
You Just Need to Know How to Connect the Two.
Join us September 12 and learn where the money is.
