Executive compensation attorney and Atlanta partner Sue Stoffer discuss with Law 360 the growth in popularity last year of special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, partly due to a new strategy for investor-founders touted by financial advisers: investing in founder stock using money from a Roth individual retirement account.

"It makes sense from an investment standpoint if you do it, because anything you invest in with your Roth IRA, your earnings are tax-free, which is phenomenal," Stoffer said. "If you do a successful SPAC, you'll never get taxed on those earnings."

But this strategy carries a key risk that investor-founders should familiarize themselves with before using, she added.

"What I caution my executives is: Before you do the Roth IRA stuff, just stop for a second and make sure you're not walking into a prohibited transaction," she said.