Even in the worst of times, some investors manage to turn a profit, and so it can be inspiring to be reminded that careful and clever management of one’s assets can yield great returns.

It is no secret that in the last year investors who have more diverse portfolios which include alternative investments have fared better than those invested solely in the stock market, but you may be surprised at just how well some investors have fared and how they did it. Janice Stoddard can give you one example.

Janice and her husband Jack established two self-directed IRAs in 2004 and made small real estate transactions, buying and reselling property. All of the profits remained within the IRAs, and by 2006 the couple was maneuvering to buy and immediately re-sell a 60-acre parcel of land using a solo 401k of their combined profits.

The deal was a success, but the real profit of it came from a recommendation from their son, who recommended that for future transactions they look for land with mineral rights.

Once again keeping the profits in their retirement accounts, the duo found their next deal in Arkansas—a 57-acre plot with a 3-acre residence and the remaining land all undeveloped .

Because the plot was worth more than they had available in their Solo 401k, the couple convinced two friends to join the deal with the intention of subdividing and selling the land in smaller parcels.

Up to this point, each of the Stoddards' transactions had been slightly more complex than the last, and for this most complex deal they enlisted the help of a knowledgeable company.

The plot was originally being offered for $435,000 dollars—$5,250 per acre—but this deal only included 50 percent of the mineral rights. With the advice of their son in mind, Janice and Jack negotiated for full mineral rights at $5,875 per acre.

At the time of purchase, no one was drilling the land, so this may have seemed a somewhat risky move to some, but it paid off. Within a few months, Chesapeake Energy had placed a well and the LLC was receiving monthly royalty checks for the natural gas on the property. Over 18 months, those checks totaled more than $100,000.

The Stoddards eventually sold only the mineral rights for $8,700 an acre, netting another $465,000 while retaining the land, now valued at an estimated $435,000. Within six real estate transactions and in less than two years, the LLC’s asset value had gone from $350,000 to more than $950,000—more than quadrupling their initial investment.

The Stoddards aren’t stopping there, though. Other property and mineral rights deals are already on the table for purchase with their Solo 401k funds.