If you’re a small business owner, the most logical option is to open a SEP (Simplified Employee Pension) IRA. Its simple setup and ease of use through many brokerage firms, makes it an attractive vehicle for saving for retirement.
Even a few robo advisors, like Betterment, are now able to manage a SEP IRA through their service — potentially saving you hundreds of dollars in management fees.
PROS:
- Contribute 25% of Your Salary – Even though it’s called a SEP IRA, you can contribute up to $56,000 or 25% of your annual salary (in 2019), or whichever is lesser.
- No Income Limits – Unlike Traditional and Roth IRAs (which are discussed in-depth below), SEP IRAs have no income limits. This means your business’ earnings won’t be capped at a certain amount of money in order to qualify.
- Flexible Contributions – If you have a tough year financially, you can choose to skip contributes this year. Then if you have a great year, you can fund the plan with a larger amount than originally intended.
- Low Annual Fees – Depending on where you open the SEP IRA account you could pay no or low annual fees.
CONS:
- No Employee Contributions – A SEP IRA is best if you’re a one-person show and plan to continue that way, so employee contributions aren’t allowed. The employer is responsible for distributing funds at his discretion.
- Inclusive Participation – An employer cannot selectively decide which employees will benefit from a SEP IRA. The company must contribute for the benefit of everyone, or no one.