Can Your Retirement Account Pay for Travel? Meet Silo Markets (Ep. 146)

Check out the new Smart Travel PodcastThis episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel PodcastWhat if your investment portfolio could earn travel rewards without requiring you to spend another dollar on a credit card? In this episode of the BoldlyGo Podcast, DeAndre Coke sits down with Harry, co-founder of Silo Markets, a platform that rewards users with credit card style points simply for holding investments or cash. Silo currently offers 0.5 points per dollar of portfolio value annually, meaning a $100,000 portfolio could generate 50,000 points per year while the underlying investments remain invested.DeAndre approaches the conversation from two perspectives, as a points and miles enthusiast and as a financial advisor. Together, they dig into how Silo actually works, its membership tiers, supported investment and retirement accounts, how existing investments can be transferred without liquidating positions, and how Silo plans to fund its rewards program. Harry also explains the relationship with Interactive Brokers, where customer assets are actually held, and what would happen to those assets if Silo itself were to shut down.The conversation gets especially interesting when they explore retirement accounts. Traditional IRAs, rollover IRAs, and Roth IRAs can potentially earn Silo points, creating a way for long-term retirement savings to generate rewards that can be used today without withdrawing the underlying retirement assets. They also discuss Silo's current 1 cent per point cash redemption, travel portal, upcoming transfer partners, break-even points for each membership tier, and why most existing users are currently holding their points in anticipation of airline and hotel transfer partners.DeAndre and Harry also address some of the biggest questions surrounding a newer financial platform, including account protection, fees, investment control, and how Silo differs from platforms like Symphony. Harry ultimately describes Silo's ambition as building a modern version of Vanguard, but with loyalty rewards layered on top of long-term investing. It is a fascinating look at what could happen when two traditionally separate worlds, investing and points and miles, begin to overlap.Timestamps:(00:00) Can Your Retirement Account Earn Travel Points?(02:58) Meet Harry, Co-Founder of Silo Markets(04:27) What Is Silo Markets and How Does It Work?(06:30) How Your Investment Portfolio Earns Silo Points(09:03) Blue, Gold and Platinum Membership Plans Explained(10:29) Moving Investments to Silo and Supported IRA Accounts(12:01) How Points Are Calculated and Redeemed(13:00) Cash Redemptions, Travel Bookings and Upcoming Transfer Partners(14:00) What Can You Actually Invest in Through Silo?(18:28) When Does Paying for Silo Actually Make Financial Sense?(21:23) Where Your Money Is Held and What Happens If Silo Shuts Down(24:00) Silo's Biggest Limitation and the Push for Transfer Partners(26:25) Using Retirement Savings to Generate Travel Rewards Today(30:56) Silo vs. Symphony and Who Controls Your InvestmentsKey Highlights:Earn Points From Investments: Silo currently offers 0.5 points per dollar of portfolio value annually, paid out monthly.$100K Could Earn 50K Points: A $100,000 qualifying portfolio could generate approximately 50,000 Silo points over a year.Three Membership Tiers: Silo offers Blue, Gold, and Platinum plans with points earning caps based on portfolio size, reaching up to $1 million on the Platinum plan.Up to 500K Points Per Year: A qualifying $1 million portfolio on the Platinum plan could generate up to 500,000 points annually at the current earning rate.Retirement Accounts Qualify: Silo supports traditional IRAs, rollover IRAs, and Roth IRAs, along with individual brokerage accounts. Joint and trust accounts can also be supported by contacting Silo.Transfer Existing Investments: ACATS transfers allow eligible stocks and ETFs to move from another brokerage without requiring investors to sell those positions first.Cash and Travel Redemptions: Points can currently be redeemed for cash at 1 cent each or used through Silo's travel portal covering hundreds of airlines and hot