One of the common questions we receive is whether our clients should provide a 401k to their employees. There are three triggers we believe should prompt you, as a business owner, to look into setting up a 401k for your business. Any one of these can be enough by itself, but if two or three apply, then you know it’s time to get started.

Here are the three triggers that will indicate if a 401k is right for your business:

1) If you are looking for more ways to potentially reduce your income tax bill personally and accumulate wealth outside or from your business.

2) If you care about your team and want to help them save and invest for their future.

3) If you want to offer an employment benefit that attracts and retains above average talent. 

Teammates that value the benefits of a 401k are the people who think long-term and will probably perform better in their work for your business.

The great thing is that without committing much time or any money, you can get a personalized education and proposal from a professional advisor and Third-Party Administrator. You’ll be able to see how a 401k would work in your business and how it would provide you a personal benefit as well.

And here’s a quick side note: if you’re like us and LOVE the tax benefits of the Roth IRA, you can make sure your 401k plan has a Roth feature. This gives you the potential to put more than three times the normal Roth IRA limits into your Roth 401k. You can do this even if your income is too high to contribute to a normal Roth IRA. THAT is a very powerful tax planning tool!

Through the process of evaluating a 401k, you may find that it is not the best fit right now. You won’t want to rule out the whole idea though, because a SIMPLE IRA can still provide many of these benefits to you and your team. A simple IRA can be a stepping stone to a full blown 401K down the road.

The final thing to know is that there are many “low-cost-off-the-shelf” 401k providers out there. However, if you want to get the most value for your money with a 401k plan, work with a professional investment advisor and an independent Third-Party Administrator. By separating these roles, you may be able to create a more cost effective, tailored plan. Down the road, you’ll be glad you went with this more flexible option.

The answer is yes: if you want to accumulate more tax-efficient wealth and provide a great benefit to your employees, a 401k could be a wonderful addition to your business benefit lineup.

For important disclosure information, please visit RidgelinePrivateWealth.com/routine-disclosures