Cornbelt Financial
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Who We Serve
    • Values
  • Services
    • Tax Preparation & Planning
    • Bookkeeping, Payroll, & Consulting
    • Financial Planning
    • Investment Advising
    • Succession Planning
    • Business Valuation
  • Blog
  • FAQ
  • Login
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Who We Serve
    • Values
  • Services
    • Tax Preparation & Planning
    • Bookkeeping, Payroll, & Consulting
    • Financial Planning
    • Investment Advising
    • Succession Planning
    • Business Valuation
  • Blog
  • FAQ
  • Login
  • Contact

Accelerate your retirement savings with a cash balance plan

1/9/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Business owners may not be able to set aside as much as they’d like in tax-advantaged retirement plans. Typically, they’re older and more highly compensated than their employees, but restrictions on contributions to 401(k) and profit-sharing plans can hamper retirement-planning efforts. One solution may be a cash balance plan.

Defined benefit plan with a twist
The two most popular qualified retirement plans — 401(k) and profit-sharing plans — are defined contribution plans. These plans specify the amount that goes into an employee’s retirement account today, typically a percentage of compensation or a specific dollar amount.

In contrast, a cash balance plan is a defined benefit plan, which specifies the amount a participant will receive in retirement. But unlike traditional defined benefit plans, such as pensions, cash balance plans express those benefits in the form of a 401(k)-style account balance, rather than a formula tied to years of service and salary history.

The plan allocates annual “pay credits” and “interest credits” to hypothetical employee accounts. This allows participants to earn benefits more uniformly over their careers, and provides a clearer picture of benefits than a traditional pension plan.

Greater savings for owners

A cash balance plan offers significant advantages for business owners — particularly those who are behind on their retirement saving and whose employees are younger and lower-paid. In 2017, the IRS limits employer contributions and employee deferrals to defined contribution plans to $54,000 ($60,000 for employees age 50 or older). And nondiscrimination rules, which prevent a plan from unfairly favoring highly compensated employees (HCEs), can reduce an owner’s contributions even further.

But cash balance plans aren’t bound by these limits. Instead, as defined benefit plans, they’re subject to a cap on annual benefit payouts in retirement (currently, $215,000), and the nondiscrimination rules require that only benefits for HCEs and non-HCEs be comparable.

Contributions may be as high as necessary to fund those benefits. Therefore, a company may make sizable contributions on behalf of owner/employees approaching retirement (often as much as three or four times defined contribution limits), and relatively smaller contributions on behalf of younger, lower-paid employees.

There are some potential risks. The most notable one is that, unlike with profit-sharing plans, you can’t reduce or suspend contributions during difficult years. So, before implementing a cash balance plan, it’s critical to ensure that your company’s cash flow will be steady enough to meet its funding obligations.

Right for you?

Although cash balance plans can be more expensive than defined contribution plans, they’re a great way to turbocharge your retirement savings. We can help you decide whether one might be right for you.

​© 2017
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Adam Carr, MBA, EA

    Archives

    November 2024
    October 2024
    June 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015

    Categories

    All
    Business
    Charity
    Education
    Estate Planning
    Identity Protection
    Investments
    Life Events
    Medical
    Real Estate
    Tax Forms
    Tax Law
    Tax Planning
    Tax Reform

    RSS Feed

Client Login
Xero Partner
Gusto Partner
© COPYRIGHT Cornbelt Financial, LLC 2024. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. | Privacy Policy

There are no warranties implied.
Cornbelt Financial, LLC (“RIA Firm”) is a registered investment advisor located in Denver, Colorado. Cornbelt Financial, LLC may only transact business in those states in which it is registered, or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. Cornbelt Financial, LLC’s website is limited to the dissemination of general information pertaining to its advisory services, together with access to additional investment-related information, publications, and links. Accordingly, the publication of Cornbelt Financial, LLC’s website on the internet should not be construed by any consumer and/or prospective client as Cornbelt FInancial, LLC’s solicitation to effect, or attempt to effect transactions in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation, over the internet. Any subsequent, direct communication by Cornbelt Financial, LLC with a prospective client shall be conducted by a representative that is either registered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration in the state where the prospective client resides. For information pertaining to the registration status of Cornbelt Financial, LLC, please contact the state securities regulators for those states in which Cornbelt Financial, LLC maintains a registration filing. A copy of Cornbelt Financial, LLC’s current written disclosure statement discussing Cornbelt Financial, LLC’s business operations, services, and fees is available at the SEC’s investment adviser public information website – www.adviserinfo.sec.gov or from Cornbelt Financial, LLC upon written request. Cornbelt Financial, LLC does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to Cornbelt Financial, LLC’s website or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility therefor. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly.
This website and information are provided for guidance and information purposes only.  Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial advisor and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy.  This website and information are not intended to provide investment, tax, or legal advice.
Insurance products and services are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed insurance agents.