General Client FAQs

The easiest way to update the FMV of your assets is by logging into the online portal. You can view step-by-step instructions and documents required here.

To submit a bill payment request to us, please login. From your online portal:

• Click on the “Pay a Bill” orange button on the right side of your Home screen
• Use the drop-down menu under “Related Asset” to choose the holding related to the bill payment you are requesting
• Choose a Bill Payment Type and Expense Type
• Enter the dollar amount you wish for us to pay
• Choose a Delivery Method and enter the delivery instructions
• Enter a Payment Memo (invoice number, account number, parcel number, etc.)
• Choose a Frequency (one-time or recurring)
• Click Next Page to Confirm and you will be brought to a new page to review the bill payment once more. If the bill payment is over $5,000.00, please include the invoice.
• Click Submit to submit bill payment for processing.
Once you have submitted the bill payment request to us, it will be reviewed and processed. You may review your bill payment under Pending Transactions on the Home screen. If you need to fund the account, please give our office a call for more assistance.

You can fund your account in three ways: contributions, rollovers and transfers.

• Contributions can come directly from your bank account, or you can have your employer set up a direct deposit to your IRA. There is a limit on contributions at $6000 a year.
• Rollovers are client-initiated transactions from an existing 401(k) retirement plan to a new IRA or 401(k). The timeline on rollovers is dependant on the institution that holds your retirement plan.
• Transfers come from an existing IRA account that you hold at another custodian. To do a transfer you would need to fill out a Equity Trust transfer form with your current custodian information and upload that to your Equity Trust account. From there we complete the paperwork and send it directly to your other custodian. Depending on the custodian, transfers can take anywhere from 3-10 business days. Transferring of assets can take up to 8 weeks to finalize.

Navigate to the client portal and login. To reset your password:

• From the Login Screen, click “Forgot my Password.”
• Input your email address, the last four digits of your SSN, and your DOB.
• You will receive an email with a link to reset this Password.
• Click the link, type in your password twice, and you’ll be logged in.

Our mailing address is:

PO Box 07520

Fort Myers, FL 33919

and our physical address is:

15671 San Carlos Blvd #101

Fort Myers, FL 33908

• You can view our fees on our fees page or under the "Open an Account" tab.
• Equity Trust charges annual administrative fees to complete the required tax reporting requirements to maintain each asset within the IRA. Due to IRS regulations, account holders are not able to hold their retirement plans directly, so a third party is required. On an annual basis, Equity Trust is required to report any contributions made to the account, any distributions that were taken, as well as report the annual fair market value of the account. Additionally, on an as-needed basis, Equity Trust will notify you of any regulatory or legislative changes that may affect your retirement account.
• To reduce fees choose the most advantageous fee option based on your account specifics: Asset-based or Value-based. Creating a checkbook LLC might lower admin fees. Funds sent/received as check or ACH is less costly than wires.

Learn more about the investing process here.  

• Vesting: Midland Trust Company FBO Client Name, Client Acct #
• Checks are made payable to: Midland IRA FBO Client Name, Client Acct #

A prohibited transaction is any improper use of an IRA account or annuity by the IRA owner, his or her beneficiary, or any disqualified person.

• An IRA cannot invest in life insurance or collectibles.
• An IRA cannot invest in S-corporation stock.
• An IRA owner cannot buy property for personal use with IRA funds.
• An IRA owner cannot borrow money from their IRA.
• An IRA owner cannot use IRA assets as collateral for a loan.
• An IRA owner cannot execute a direct or indirect sale, exchange, purchase, or lease of property between the IRA and a disqualified person (yourself, spouse, parents, grandparents, children and their spouse, grandchildren and their spouse).
• An IRA owner cannot (directly or indirectly) furnish goods, services, or facilities between the IRA and a disqualified person.
• An IRA owner cannot invest in something where they personally benefit from the investment either monetarily or non monetarily. An example would be receiving compensation as a real estate agent or being given free perks or privileges because of an IRA’s investment.
• An IRA owner or disqualified party cannot put any sweat equity into an investment (such as cutting grass or fixing the roof on a real estate investment).