For business owners with significant income and cash flow that are looking to SAVE ON TAX and also CONTRIBUTE HEAVILY TO A RETIREMENT PLAN, there are some wonderful options.  

The main obstacle is simply a lack of knowledge about what those options are.  Many simply set up 401k's or similar plans to keep employees happy but these plans only allow the employer to contribute very small amounts for himself that will do very little to produce the type of retirement plan that he or she desires. 

However, there are now plans available that allow business owners to benefit from the following features:

• allows business owner to remove funds from his company for his personal benefit.
• the company DEDUCTS the cost of the program as an ordinary business expense.
• there is no regulatory limit on the funding for the business owner.
• pension based plans rarely provide tax mitigation and have funding caps.
• the program removes plan assets from the reach of company creditors.
• the money in the program grows on a tax-free/tax deferred basis.
• the business owner can later take income tax-free without income limitation requirements.
• the program passes a death benefit onto the heirs income tax free.
• the program is based upon tax code section 79 that allows for all of these benefits.

401k Alternatives

The most common retirement options available to employees are through 401k's.  While these certainly have their place, many are not aware of alternatives that have significant advantages over the 401k.  For example, if an individual has a 401k option through their employer that matches up to 4%, but wishes to contribute more, let's say 10%, they should be aware of some options that will likely yield better returns in the long run and protect their money better as well. 

They can simply contribute the 4% that the employer will match, and take the other 6% and contribute that to a retirement vehicle that will protect the investment from any losses, and allow them to take the money TAX-FREE when they need it in retirement.  A 401k is a tax-deferred retirement vehicle, but if you are of the belief like I am that taxes are VERY LIKELY to increase in the future, the end result will be paying more taxes in the future than you would in the present.

This may seem a bit confusing, but a trusted advisor can help you to make sense of it all.  For now, suffice it to say that there are excellent alternatives to the 401k that protect your money better, allow for excellent growth potential, and have great tax advantages.  Please contact us for more details or a free consultation at [email protected].

One of the most effective ways to fund a retirement plan for people in their 30's, 40's, or even 50's, is through indexed universal life insurance.  The concept is to simply overfund a life insurance policy to accumulate significant cash value.  The main advantages to using this vehicle to fund a retirement plan are the following:

1) Downside protection - Some IUL's guarantee a 3% return every year even if the market goes down and allow for returns up to 14% cap.  This concept has allowed for historical average returns with many carriers of around 8% and guarantees that the portion of your premium allocated to your retirement fund will gain over time! 

2) Tax free income-At retirement - You will have the option to take out annual tax free income!  This is a huge benefit as most of us believe that taxes are very likely going to increase in the future.  Let's assume that you are in a 30% tax bracket at retirement and your cash value accumulation allows you to take out a $70,000 tax free annual income.  This would be the equivalent of $100,000 that you have to pay taxes on!!

3) Death benefit protection - All along the way, you will have permanent death benefit protection to take great care of your family in the event that something were to happen to you prematurely or later in life!!

Most of us have a natural tendency to think of retirement planning as something that we don't need to really worry about until we are in our 50's.  Even though most of us realize that we should be preparing for it NOW, we are usually very passive about it and allow retirement planning to take a backseat to our other priorities.

However, allow me to point out a few staggering numbers that might ignite your urgency if you are in your 30's or 40's, or even younger.  

If a 45 year old female starts a life insurance policy funded as a retirement plan at $300 monthly, she would be projected to have $125,711 in her retirement account after paying in $75,600 at age 66, along with a death benefit all along the way of $250,000.  This would allow her to take out $14,464 annually in tax free income beginning at age 66.  

In contrast, another female at age 35, with the same contributions and death benefit, would be projected to have $266,726 in her account at age 66 after paying in $80,511, allowing for a tax free annual income of $31,283!!

As you can see, timing is everything in retirement planning!  The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but the second best time is today!  Please contact us today for a free consultation at [email protected] or call 855-876-5252