At The Cash: Learn how to Max Out Your Small Enterprise Retirement Plan with Dan Larosa (April 29, 2026)
Are you operating a small enterprise or “facet hustle” that generates actual earnings? You might not be taking full benefit of the various retirement financial savings plans out there.
Full transcript under.
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About this week’s visitor:
Dan LaRosa is Director of Company Retirement Plans at Ritholtz Wealth Administration, overseeing greater than $400 million in varied plans. He’s a Certified Plan Monetary Marketing consultant (QPFC) and Accredited Funding Fiduciary (AIF) and companion on the agency.
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TRANSCRIPT: On the Cash: Retirement Plans for Small Enterprise Homeowners and Solo Practitioners
with Barry Ritholtz and Dan LaRosa
Intro: When you ever get aggravated
Have a look at me I’m self-employed
I like to work at nothing all day
And I’ll be…Taking good care of enterprise day-after-day
Taking good care of enterprise each method
Barry Ritholtz: Saving for retirement is difficult, particularly if you happen to’re a small enterprise proprietor or solo practitioner. Numerous retirement plans like SEPs, solo Ks, and Mega Backdoor Roths can actually be complicated. There are such a lot of selections, the choices have elevated, and the principles have turn into much more complicated. To assist us unpack all of this and what it means on your retirement portfolio, let’s usher in Dan LaRosa. He’s an skilled in company certified retirement accounts, working with purchasers all around the nation. Full disclosure: Dan runs the company retirement planning group at Ritholtz Wealth Administration, my agency, and he’s certainly one of my companions. So Dan, let’s begin primary. What choices exist for both solo or small enterprise house owners in the event that they wish to save more cash for retirement on a tax-deferred foundation?
Dan LaRosa: Certain, Barry. The principle choices, at the least the choices that you just’ll extra probably than not begin with, are a SEP IRA or a solo 401(ok). Lots of people default to a SEP, even when they’re in a scenario the place the solo Okay would possibly truly be a greater possibility. The SEP is simply less complicated, and it’s typically the very first thing that your CPA goes to say to you or advocate. Solo 401(ok)s with a Mega Backdoor Roth characteristic have additionally gotten extra in style lately. And upon getting a kind of in place, if you happen to’re nonetheless on the lookout for extra tax deferral alternatives, an outlined profit money steadiness plan is likely to be a superb match.
Barry Ritholtz: Actually attention-grabbing. Final time once we talked about Mega Backdoor Roth, the overall you’ll be able to contribute if you happen to’re working for a agency is $72,000. However nowadays, so many individuals have facet hustles. They arrange an LLC or a little bit firm to do one thing, and possibly they’re a solo practitioner, possibly it’s a husband and spouse, and that is earnings past what their common paycheck is. When you maxed out your Mega Backdoor Roth at your common employer and you’ve got this facet gig, how a lot are you able to add above that $72,000?
Dan LaRosa: Lots of people don’t understand this, however every plan has its personal $72,000 restrict. The one factor that aggregates throughout all plans is the $24,500 worker deferral restrict. That’s the sum of money that every of us can contribute to our 401(ok) plan. However every plan has a $72,000 restrict. So when you’ve got a facet hustle or a solo gig, you’ll be able to arrange a solo 401(ok) with a Mega Backdoor Roth, and even only a common solo Okay or SEP. So long as your earnings is excessive sufficient, you can also make extra contributions into that retirement plan of as much as $72,000.
Barry Ritholtz: And the way do they work out the $72,000? Is that primarily based on over $145,000 or $150,000 a yr, or is there a proportion calculation? The place does that $72,000 quantity come from?
Dan LaRosa: The $72,000 quantity is simply the general 401(ok) restrict, or retirement plan restrict. The SEP truly has the identical, however how one can get there’s a little bit of a loaded query, and it’s completely different for every of these plans. The SEP IRA is technically all employer contributions, so your contribution quantities are immediately tied to your earnings. You may contribute as much as 20% of your web earnings to get to that $72,000 quantity. So that you do the mathematics: you want an earnings of $360,000 to max out and get to that $72,000. The solo Okay — solely a portion of your contribution is tied to your earnings, so you’ll be able to contribute much more on a decrease earnings. An earnings of about $235,000 to $240,000 will get you to that $72,000 max. The Mega Backdoor Roth is a little bit of a cheat code. So long as your web earnings is $72,000, you’ll be able to contribute all of that into the solo 401(ok).
Barry Ritholtz: What are the trade-offs between the SEP IRA, the solo 401(ok), and the solo Mega Backdoor Roth? It seems like that is actually complicated. Are there any benefits or disadvantages to every of those?
Dan LaRosa: It’s complicated, and that’s why lots of people simply default to a SEP as a result of it’s simpler, but it surely actually depends upon your earnings and your goals. In case your earnings is on the decrease facet, or possibly it varies from yr to yr, the solo Okay goes to actually enable probably the most flexibility and allow you to maximize your contribution even in these decrease earnings years. If Roth contributions are the target, you simply can’t beat the solo Okay with the Mega Backdoor Roth. It’s going to assist you to contribute as much as $72,000 in Roth contributions. You may’t discover that anyplace else. But when your earnings is constantly excessive and Roth just isn’t a precedence — you simply wish to maximize your tax deferrals — then a SEP goes to get the job finished.
Barry Ritholtz: So if you happen to’re making $100,000 or much less, or $250,000 or extra, or 1,000,000 or extra, which will have an effect on which of those you select.
Dan LaRosa: Yeah, for certain. And once more, assuming you wish to maximize your contributions, you wish to contribute as a lot as you’ll be able to — the decrease your earnings is, the extra highly effective the solo 401(ok) is. You’re simply going to have much more flexibility together with your contributions. And the upper your earnings goes, you’re advantageous with a SEP, as a result of that 20% of your web earnings, in case your earnings is excessive sufficient — once more, over $353,000 to $360,000 — you’re going to be placing $70,000-plus away a yr.
Barry Ritholtz: Actually intriguing. How do you depend an worker if you happen to’re a solo 401(ok)? Does it matter if you happen to’re 1099 or W-2 or part-time or partner? A husband and spouse personal a small enterprise — who counts as an worker for these?
Dan LaRosa: The solo 401(ok) is straightforward. After getting a W-2 worker that turns into eligible, it’s not a solo Okay, and it’s going to be arduous for the proprietor to max out with out contributions to that worker. The SEP is a little bit bit completely different. The eligibility requirement is known as the three-of-five rule. After getting an worker that’s labored three out of any 5 years incomes greater than one thing nominal — I believe $700 or $750 — they’re eligible, and which means they’d obtain the identical proportion of compensation that you just’re giving your self. So that would get costly in a rush. So far as a partner being labeled as an worker, you’ll be able to have your partner within the solo Okay and nonetheless run the solo Okay — you’re not going to be disqualified. Your partner counts as one other proprietor. Additionally, lots of people don’t understand {that a} solo Okay can have a number of companions in it. In different phrases, if an organization has 4 completely different companions, you’ll be able to have all 4 companions and every of the spouses within the solo Okay, so long as there are not any non-owner staff. You’re good to go.
Barry Ritholtz: And that’s $72,000 per individual, husband and spouse?
Dan LaRosa: Per individual. Once more, assuming the earnings permits for it, however sure.
Barry Ritholtz: Actually intriguing. Let’s discuss concerning the administration and compliance burdens of those varied choices. I do know you want plan paperwork, after which there’s the notorious Kind 5500, and there are all types of recordkeeping guidelines. What do small companies need to know? How do they keep away from getting tripped up by all of this?
Dan LaRosa: SEPs are the best for certain. It’s just some kinds to arrange, and there’s no annual upkeep, no filings. The proprietor simply wants to trace their contributions. With the solo 401(ok), there is a bit more, and the largest factor is: as soon as the plan reaches a complete of $250,000 in complete plan property on December thirty first of any plan yr, a Kind 5500-EZ should be filed. That’s mainly the tax return for the plan. It’s a very easy kind, however the penalties are insane. It’s $250 a day, as much as $150,000. For a really very long time, this actually wasn’t regulated, however lately we’ve truly actually seen an uptick in enforcement of those penalties. It shouldn’t forestall you from establishing a solo Okay, but it surely’s essential to concentrate on this whenever you set the plan up.
Barry Ritholtz: Let’s discuss setup and funding. When do these plans have to be arrange and funded by? We’re recording this in February of 2026. Is it too late to set one thing up and fund it for 2025? What does the timing seem like?
Dan LaRosa: No, you continue to have loads of time. The SEP is an IRA, so identical to every other IRA, it’s all the time been capable of be established and funded for a previous yr. You’ve gotten till tax submitting plus extension to get that plan funded. Efficient, I imagine, final yr, the solo Okay received much more lenient and sort of follows that very same path because the SEP. So you’ll be able to set up a solo Okay and fund it for the prior yr, with some caveats. If the plan is ready up by April fifteenth — say for this yr, the plan is ready up by April fifteenth, 2026 — you can also make worker and employer profit-sharing contributions. So you may get to that full $72,000, so long as you fund by the prolonged submitting deadline of October fifteenth of this yr. When you arrange the plan after April fifteenth of this yr, you’ll be able to solely make your employer contributions — your profit-sharing contributions — to it. So that you’re going to be a little bit extra restricted as to how a lot you’ll be able to fund.
Barry Ritholtz: Let’s speak about succession planning or exit planning, or with a husband and spouse, the loss of life of a partner. Is anyone construction superior to others? If the proprietor expects to promote the enterprise or retire, or possibly even usher in companions, which is probably the most versatile right here?
Dan LaRosa: The solo Okay is all the time going to present you extra flexibility than the SEP. If there are a number of companions within the solo Okay, they will every contribute completely different quantities, or some under no circumstances. SEP contributions are professional rata, so everybody has to get the identical proportion of comp. So clearly not splendid if there are going to be a number of companions or folks with completely different objectives concerned. However, SEPs are simply structurally lots less complicated, simpler to unwind if obligatory. So actually, one isn’t all the time going to be higher than the opposite. It actually depends upon the scenario.
Barry Ritholtz: One of many benefits of 401(ok)s is the creditor and ERISA protections. Even if you happen to lose litigation, no person can take your retirement cash away. Do the identical issues apply to the SEP or solo 401(ok)? Is it actually the identical algorithm?
Dan LaRosa: What you’re speaking about with 401(ok)s is that extra ERISA safety. ERISA plans — that are your employer 401(ok)s and outlined profit plans — have probably the most creditor safety of all certified plans. It’s a frequent false impression that solo Ks, as a result of they’re 401(ok)s, even have this enhanced creditor safety. They don’t, as a result of they don’t cowl any non-owner staff. They don’t qualify for that further ERISA safety. So SEPs and solo Ks are on the identical degree by way of creditor safety — the identical as a daily IRA. In case you are in a litigious occupation and that safety is essential, it is likely to be a good suggestion to roll a few of these IRA or solo Okay balances into your employer 401(ok) or outlined profit plan, when you’ve got one out there.
Barry Ritholtz: That’s actually attention-grabbing. I might think about docs — I bear in mind again within the day, brokers used to get sued regularly — in order that appears to be worthwhile. Final query: when you’ve got a enterprise proprietor that’s married, whether or not or not the partner works for them within the enterprise, can that partner additionally open both a solo 401(ok) or SEP or Mega Backdoor Roth 401(ok) and legitimately improve the family contribution, assuming the income permits for it?
Dan LaRosa: Yeah, so long as your partner is a reputable worker of your solo apply, you are able to do that, and it has large advantages. However they need to be an worker on payroll, receiving wages. The solo Okay lets you contribute lots even on a low earnings. A partner would be capable to truly contribute 100% of their compensation as much as that $24,500 — or if you happen to’re over 50, $32,500. That provides up rapidly. It’s a straightforward solution to supercharge your family financial savings — including your partner to your solo apply retirement plan.
Barry Ritholtz: All these items is so intriguing, and it’s simply one other instrument within the toolbox. To wrap up: if you happen to’re a small enterprise proprietor or solo practitioner and also you haven’t taken benefit of the varied tax-deferred retirement financial savings plans — whether or not it’s a SEP, a solo 401(ok), or a Mega Backdoor Roth 401(ok) — communicate to your fill-in-the-blank monetary advisor, accountant, or tax skilled, and get hopping on this. This is a gigantic solution to accumulate wealth over the following 10 or 20 years and have varied choices of whether or not this goes in pre-tax or post-tax, which lets you maximize your long-term returns. I’m Barry Ritholtz. You might be listening to Bloomberg’s On the Cash.
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