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[S598]Small Business Retirement Plan

by John Chomsky, Joh

Many people belief that retirement planning is only for people who get a salary, but it is also necessary for who run their own business. There are many ways to do this, the better you are prepared for your retirement, the better you will be prepared for the future. And when the present is very important, your future, when your senior years come, living a life as independent and dignified as can be is also important. So if you want to live that part of your life financially comfortable the small business retirement plan, is a good place to start.

You need to think big when it comes to the small business retirement plan. In your working years you can prepare for your financial independence when retired. When you start with your small business retirement plan at the right time you need to keep in mind that saving a considerable amount of money for the future, can also save you a great deal on tax deductions in the present. With The small business retirement plan you can fill in any gaps in your personal savings and you can secure your retirement time.

Tax deduction on the amount of your savings for the future is a great advantaged of the small business retirement plan because:

- These savings will not incur tax until it is withdrawn.

- You can also include your spouse in to increase the amount you save when you are partners in business .

- By extending this plan to your small business employees there are more benefits.

Small Business Retirement Plan For Your Employees

The first small business retirement plan is the Savings Incentives Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) IRA. Your employees can contribute if they have earned more than $5,000 in any two years prior and who will earn at least $5,000 this year, and you as their employer need to match whatever sum they contribute with a ceiling of US $6000-10000. And your employees can contribute up to $10,000. You as their employer can provide up to 3% match or 2% non-elective match for all your employees up to $4,400 per employee. You can also contribute $10,000 to your own account plus a match of 3%.

When you are employing just a handful of employees, which is often the case with small businesses, then the Simplified Employee Pension Plan (SEP IRA) can be the right plan for you and your business. With this small business retirement plan your workers do not contribute, you contribute on the behalf of all of your employers. Any business owner or self-employed individual can start a plan. All employees who have worked for 3 of the past 5 years and who earned at least $450 last year are eligible for coverage.The contributions you make can differ from year to year and you can let it depend upon your business returns and the sum of these contributions is tax deductible.

The small business retirement plan provides benefits for your employees and for yourself. The plan also generates some major tax savings. This way you are creating a safe future for you, your family and for your employees.

The question of IRA vs 401k leaps to mind when setting up a small business retirement plan. Do you know the differences between plans? What does the Internal Revenue Code allow and restrict? Why should you even care? Because if you sell fixed indexed annuities and want to capitalize on one of the hottest specialty markets going today (setting up retirement plans for small business owners with 1 to 9 employees), you'll want to brush up on IRA vs 401k and other important considerations.

First, consider that a small business retirement plan, now more than ever, is the best way to defer large amounts of tax-deductible dollars. Thanks to the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA), self-employed taxpayers now have unprecedented incentives to save for retirement. A business owner's decision is quite literally whether to keep company profits... or send them off to Uncle Sam.

OWNER GETS MORE

It's no secret the allure of a small business retirement plan is directly related to benefits available to the owner. The greater the owner's share of the overall plan, the greater the interest. Before the new tax legislation, restrictions on owner's benefits in small plan design often resulted in even fewer benefits for the employees. But the tools are now in place to ratchet up the owner's benefits and still create a workable plan for the employees. So, should the plan be an IRA or a 401k? Let's examine IRA vs 401k separately.

SIMPLIFIED EMPLOYEE PENSION

The simplest small business retirement plan for self-employed taxpayers and the easiest to set up and maintain is the Simplified Employee Pension (SEP). You may establish a SEP if you earn self-employment income, regardless of whether you have employees. A SEP is an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and if maintained for more than one person becomes a group of IRAs.

All contributions to a SEP are tax deductible as a business expense. As an IRA the plan's earnings are not taxed until they are withdrawn at retirement. As usual, withdrawals prior to age 59 ? with this and other plans incur a 10% penalty. A SEP-IRA does not permit loans or salary deferral contributions. Also, the individual annual contribution limit for 2006 is the lesser of 25% of compensation or $44,000, and contributions may be reduced or skipped altogether in lean years.

INDIVIDUAL 401(k)

Another handy tool in the EGTRRA toolbox is the Individual or Solo 401(k). This small business retirement plan is ideally suited for businesses in which the owner or owners (and their spouses if working at the business) are the only employees. The biggest reason for opening a one-person 401(k) is the higher contribution limits allowed, plus the fact that contributions are based on revenue generated by the business.

The maximum tax-deductible employer contribution is 25% of gross eligible payroll. For 2006 the maximum effective salary deferral contribution for employer plus employee is $44,000 plus a catch-up contribution of $5,000 for individuals age 50 and over. Loans are permitted subject to limits and rules, and paperwork may be just a filing of the streamlined IRS Form 5500-EZ when plan assets exceed $100,000.

NEVER A BETTER TIME

The new tax law creates a multitude of opportunities with more than 60 new provisions to strongly encourage the startup and funding of your small business retirement plan. Variations in plan design allow opportunities to suit independent contractors, sole-practitioner professionals, small retail owners -- virtually every type of small business imaginable. Answer the question of IRA vs 401k and you're on your way.

For small business owners in search of large tax breaks, it doesn't get any better than this. There has never been a better time than right now to convert current taxes into assets, defer tax payments, and generate large amounts of retirement income. And for you as the fixed indexed annuity specialist, this market is virtually untapped.

Article Source : Pg. 79

About Author

Both John Chomsky & Gary Le Mon are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

John Chomsky has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Personal Finance and Finances. John Chomsky worked as a consultant helping other people plan for their retirement. Almost forgetting his own. He helps people out at http://www.planning-a-retirem. John Chomsky's top article generates over 9900 views. Bookmark John Chomsky to your Favourites.

Gary Le Mon has sinced written about articles on various topics from Flea Pest Control, Life Insurance Annuity and Sales and Negotiation. http://www.Free-Insurance-Leads.com Gary Le Mon is a wholesale distributor of fixed indexed annuities for Allianz, American Equity, Sun Life Financial, and ING.. Gary Le Mon's top article generates over 60500 views. Bookmark Gary Le Mon to your Favourites.