Your Beneficiary Designations Override Your Will: The Audit Every Business Owner Should Run
A beneficiary form beats your will. Audit every 401(k), IRA, life policy, POD and TOD account for missing contingents, ex-spouses and minors.
#solo-401-k
Solo 401(k)
One-participant 401(k) plans for self-employed individuals, contribution limits, and Roth options
Hiring Your Spouse: How a Bona Fide Salary Unlocks Retirement Savings, Health Coverage, and Bigger Deductions
A spouse on W-2 payroll can fund a second solo 401(k) and pretax health coverage — if the IRS sees real work, market pay, and payroll records.
Closing a Small-Business Retirement Plan: Final Contributions, Vesting, Distributions, and the Final Form 5500
Terminating a 401(k), SEP, or SIMPLE IRA requires 100% vesting, full asset distribution, and a final Form 5500 due seven months after the last payout.
The October 15 SEP IRA Second Chance: Fund Last Year's Retirement and Cut Last Year's Taxes
Extended your 2025 return? You can still open and fund a SEP IRA by October 15, 2026 (September 15 for S corps and partnerships) and deduct up to $70,000 — but Solo 401(k) elective deferrals for 2025 are gone for good.
Your Business Is Not a Retirement Plan: Why 34% of Owners Save Nothing and How to Fix It in 2026
34% of U.S. small business owners have no retirement plan, and more than 80% of a typical owner's net worth sits inside the business. This guide compares the SEP IRA, Solo 401(k), and SIMPLE IRA at 2026 limits ($72,000, $24,500 deferral, $17,000), explains the SECURE 2.0 credits worth up to $5,000 a year for three years, and gives a five-step plan to start saving this quarter.
The IRA Contribution Limit Hits $7,500 for 2026: Your Freelancer and Small-Business Owner's Guide to the First Big Increase in Years
The IRA contribution limit rises to $7,500 for 2026 — the first base increase since 2023 — plus a new $1,100 catch-up at 50+. Learn who qualifies, how it stacks with Solo 401(k) and SEP, and how freelancers can capture the extra room before April 15, 2027.
Fix Your Own 401(k) Mistakes: A Small Business Guide to IRS Self-Correction
EPCRS gives small business 401(k) sponsors three ways to fix plan mistakes — self-correction with no fee, no filing, and no IRS contact through the third plan year for significant errors, a voluntary filing with IRS approval, or a negotiated closing agreement on audit — with standard fixes for late deferral deposits, missed eligible employees, plan loan failures, and missed RMDs.
TrumpIRA.gov and the Federal Saver's Match: What Self-Employed Workers Should Know Before 2027
TrumpIRA.gov, a Treasury-run IRA marketplace launching January 1, 2027, will list providers capped at a 0.15% expense ratio with no account minimums and connect eligible savers to a Federal Saver's Match of up to $1,000 a year — a 50% match on the first $2,000 contributed. Here is how it fits alongside a SEP-IRA or Solo 401(k), and why accurate books determine the contribution you can actually make.
Solo 401(k) for Self-Employed Owners in 2026: How to Actually Max It Out
In 2026 a Solo 401(k) lets a self-employed owner shelter up to $72,000 ($83,250 with the ages 60–63 super catch-up) across a $24,500 employee deferral and a 25%-of-compensation employer contribution. This guide covers the two-bucket math, the new mandatory Roth catch-up for W-2 wages over $145,000, first-year vs. ongoing deadlines, and the $250,000 Form 5500-EZ filing trigger.
The Mega Backdoor Roth for the Self-Employed: How a Solo 401(k) Reaches $72,000 in 2026
A Solo 401(k) with voluntary after-tax contributions lets self-employed owners shelter up to $72,000 in 2026 — or $83,250 with the age-60-to-63 catch-up — by converting after-tax dollars to Roth with no income limits. Here's how the three contribution buckets work, a worked example at $150,000 of net earnings, and what your plan document must allow.
QLACs in 2026: How the $210,000 Qualifying Longevity Annuity Contract Limit Shrinks Your RMDs
A QLAC lets you move up to $210,000 — the 2026 SECURE 2.0 lifetime limit — from a traditional IRA, SEP-IRA, or 401(k) into a deferred annuity the IRS excludes from RMD calculations until payments start, as late as age 85. Here are the rules, a worked example, and the break-even math showing when to skip it.
The Roth Catch-Up Mandate Arrives: 2026 401(k) Rules for High Earners and Business Owners
Starting January 1, 2026, SECURE 2.0's Section 603 requires workers 50 and older with over $150,000 in prior-year FICA wages from the same employer to make 401(k) catch-up contributions — $8,000 standard, $11,250 for ages 60–63 — as after-tax Roth. Plans without a Roth option must amend by December 31, 2026 or bar catch-ups entirely; W-2 S-corp owners are in scope while K-1 partners are not.