BiggerPockets Money Podcast How to Build a Tax-Efficient Portfolio (Advanced Strategies)
Nov 11, 2025
In this engaging discussion, John Bowens from Equity Trust, a self-directed retirement account expert, shares advanced strategies for building a tax-efficient portfolio. He dives into how to optimize asset allocation across Roth IRAs, HSAs, and 401(k)s for maximum tax benefits. John explains the advantages of holding alternative investments like real estate and crypto in tax-advantaged accounts. Listeners learn about tax loss harvesting, managing physical gold, and balancing aggressive and conservative investments for long-term growth.
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Place Growth In Tax-Free Accounts
- Put your highest-growth, most aggressive investments in tax-free accounts like Roth IRAs and HSAs.
- Keep conservative assets in tax-deferred accounts like 401(k)s to minimize future tax drag.
Asset Location Trumps Simple Allocation
- Think in terms of 'asset location' not just allocation across accounts.
- Place each asset where its tax behavior and your goals create the most net benefit.
Use HSA For Short High-Yield Bets
- Use HSAs for higher-yield, shorter-term, liquid investments because of triple tax benefits and reimbursement flexibility.
- Reserve long-duration, high-growth bets for Roth IRAs or Roth solo 401(k) accounts.
