investmentestate.info

Home  |  Article Listing  |  eBooks & Resources  |  Books & DVDs  |  Legal  |  Contact










Is a SEP Plan Right For Your Business


A SEP is a special type of IRA. Under a SEP plan the employer creates an IRA account for each eligible employee, hence the name SEP-IRA. A SEP is funded solely with employer contributions. Employees do not make contributions to their SEP-IRA retirement account. Any money that goes into a SEP automatically belongs to the employee. Thus, the employee has the right to take his SEP IRA account money with him whenever he stops working for the company.

Any size business can establish a SEP, but the SEP retirement plan is utilized mostly by the self-employed and the small business with few employees. The SEP IRA rules dictate that if the business contributes for one employee, (i.e., the owner), then the business must contribute proportionately for all of the employees. With few exceptions, anyone who works for the business must be included in the SEP. However, you can exclude from participating in the SEP plan anyone who:

? Has not worked for the company during three out of the last five years.

? Has not reached age 21 during the year for which contributions are made.

? Received less than $450 in compensation (subject to cost-of-living adjustments) during the year.

SEP IRA contributions to each employee for 2004 cannot exceed the lesser of $41,000 or 25% of pay for W2 recipients (20% of income for sole proprietors). The SEP IRA contribution limit goes up to $42,000 for 2005, and is subject to cost-of-living adjustments for later years. SEP-IRA rules do not provide for additional catch-up contributions for those 50 years old or over.

A growing number of self-employed individuals with no employees are abandoning the SEP-IRA for a newer type of retirement plan called the Solo 401(k) or Self-Employed 401(k). The two main reasons for the switch are 1) they can generally contribute much more to a Solo 401(k) than they can under a SEP IRA, and 2) Loans are allowed under a Solo 401(k), whereas loans are prohibited under a SEP-IRA.

Example: Henry, age 52, a realtor received $60,000 in compensation from self-employment income in 2004. For 2004, he could contribute a maximum of $27,152 in a Solo 401(k) versus a maximum of $11,152 under a SEP IRA.

However, the Solo 401(k) does not work for businesses with employees. Thus, if your company plans to hire employees or currently has a few employees, the SEP IRA may be your best choice as a retirement plan that is inexpensive and simple to operate.

Daniel Lamaute, CEO of Lamaute Capital, Inc. (http://www.InvestSafe.com) specializes in setting up retirement plans. You may visit http://www.investsafe.com to access a free calculator that will help you estimate what your maximum contribution might be under different plans.




MORE RESOURCES:

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust Announces March 2010 Distribution
MarketWatch (press release)
RioCan is Canada's largest real estate investment trust with a total capitalization of approximately $8.5 billion as at December 31, 2009. ...
Real Estate Investing in a Self Directed IRA: Tapping Your Expertise for ...PR-USA.net (press release)
Secrets to Subject to Financing ExplainedEarthtimes (press release)

all 18 news articles »


The Verb Treatment for an Investment House
New York Times
“Reacting to the stock market is just investing,” a print advertisement asserts. “Taking stock in the long term is Vanguarding. ...
Vanguard Campaign Encourages Investors to “Stop Just Investing and Start ...Earthtimes (press release)
Guarding the vanFund Strategy (blog)
Vanguard Thinks Online With New Ad CampaignFinancial-Planning.com

all 13 news articles »


Investment Manager Goes Down The Totem Pole To Find Market
Investor's Business Daily
The company targets a more downscale client base than your average investment manager: some 45% of members have less than $20000 in their accounts. ...

and more »


The Best Investing Ideas in the Services Sector
Motley Fool
But tracking monthly trends across the market can lead to great investment ideas, as well as shed new light on stocks you already have in your portfolio. ...
4-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: 3SBioMotley Fool
Get Ready for the Fall?Motley Fool
Fool Radio: Bailout Investments, Cisco's New Connection, and 3 Stocks on our RadarMotley Fool
Motley Fool
all 22 news articles »


FBR Capital Markets Completes Acquisition of the AFBA 5Star Funds Operations
CNNMoney.com (press release)
Investors are reminded to consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the FBR Funds carefully before investing. ...

and more »


State treasury investment division among top funds
Statesman Journal
The Oregon State Treasury investment division finished 2009 among the top 1 percent of public pension funds, according to a recently released analysis. ...
Public Pension Funds Gamble With Risky InvestmentsistockAnalyst.com (press release)

all 7 news articles »


Washington Post

Investing Decision Centers
MSN Money
The indexes come back despite a Moody's report that Western nations' downturn strategies carry risk. China says it will not appreciate its currency. ...
Apax exits Tommy Hilfiger for $3bnAltAssets

all 838 news articles »


Schwab Expands Fixed Income Offerings with PIMCO Professionally Managed ...
MarketWatch (press release)
"The new municipal bond ladder SMA strategies were built to make investing in fixed income easier and more transparent, while offering professional ongoing ...

and more »


Western Asset Mortgage Defined Opportunity Fund Inc. Announces PPIP Allocation
MarketWatch (press release)
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing primarily in a diverse portfolio of mortgage-backed securities ("MBS"), ...

and more »


MZF Announces Expiration and Preliminary Results of Tender Offer
MarketWatch (press release)
The firm specializes in the management of fixed-income securities and provides expertise in investment-grade municipal bond investing. ...

and more »

Google News


Home | Privacy Policy & Legal Information | Contact

investmentestate.info © 2007 | site by webbizinabox.info