ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T his book began almost a decade ago in Ft. Collins, Colorado, when I first met a financial advisor named Wes Dye. I had just begun to write Local Dollars, Local Sense and discovered that Wes, like me, was exploring new tools for helping clients invest locally. From that moment on, Wes began educating me about Self-Directed IRAs and Solo 401ks and pressing me to write a book on the topic. So thanks, first and foremost, to Wes for a decade of cheerful agitation.

I am grateful to the Lydia B. Stokes Foundation, particularly Nancy Deren and Tom Willets, for underwriting this work and for granting several generous extensions.

A big shout-out to our nonprofit sponsor, the Sun Valley Institute, particularly Aimee Christensen and her board, who made everything easy, giving me autonomy and support. You can—and should—read more about their projects on their website at www.sunvalleyinstitute.org.

I also appreciate the excellent research assistance I received from Audrey Dumentat and Jake Kornack. I benefited from sharp comments from various reviewers, including Amy Cortese, Audrey Dumentat, David Fisher, Travis Higgins, Yonit Hoffman, Wendolyn Holland, Nathan Johnson, Mark Mowatt, Wendy Wasserman, and Jason Wiener.

If I got everything right, everyone named richly deserves credit. If I got anything wrong, you know where to find me.