Investing in private companies versus the public stock market can be a viable option for retirement, but it's important to understand the risks involved and evaluate one's risk tolerance. In today’s episode, Bob Grant shares with us why he prefers investing his self-directed IRA in private companies and why he prefers the risks in it rather than in the public stock market. 

He discusses the risks involved, the importance of understanding one's risk tolerance, and the need to build a diversified portfolio. He also shares his approach to investing in private companies and gave us a little tip on how having a strong moral compass and a commitment to ethics and integrity has helped him succeed in his career and has given him a sense of fulfillment and purpose. Tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode: 

• Bob tells us how he started his career in the mailroom and how he went to small high-tech businesses.
• How did Bob’s investment story begin?
• How did Bob discover self-directed IRAs and what was his transition like?
• Bob advises us on how to find out what’s a good or bad fit for a self-directed IRA custodian.
• The opportunity in private companies for self-directed IRAs beyond the public stock market.
• The importance of finding out what is your risk tolerance and what type of risk are you willing to take.
• Bob speaks about the portfolio theory that he uses as a way of investing.
• How does Bob allocate his investments in a portfolio and his strategy?
• Bob shares the story of when his risk didn’t go well and how he recovered from it.
• What does Bob hope for his legacy?

Tweetables:

“One of the things I learned along the way, one of the mistakes I made was to stray from what I know. And so what I know is technology and business-to-business. And what I found is don't try and drift into technology to consumers, that's not my specialty. I know good products when I see them but I don't know how to run that.” - Bob Grant

“You really aren't stuck with the direction, you are fixed for a period of year or a few years, for however long that investment you made, is to endure, which is usually three to five years.” - Bob Grant

“I have about half of my IRA assets right now invested in private companies, rather than in the public market, because I shifted that away. And that's just one of the things that I looked at. More people my age ought to know, you have some choices that go beyond the public market.” - Bob Grant

“If we gave our money broadly, we had less impact. If we were more passionate, we're more narrow, we had a bigger impact. The same thing is true as investments, if we spread it too wide, we have a thin impact, you have a lot of little things going on and you don't get a bigger impact.” - Bob Grant

“I have had circumstances where I have had to walk away from deals because of what I perceived lack of integrity on the part and the behavior of other people in doing that I have had to stand up to people in leadership, because what I believed was the inappropriate thing for them to be doing at a particular time.” - Bob Grant

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Bob Grant LinkedIn