Using Retirement Funds to Buy a Business, May 25 GABB Meeting
Larry Carnell, ABI, CBI, CFB, CFE, Vice President of Business Development with Benetrends Financial
Gathering enough cash for a down payment for an SBA loan to buy a business or other business needs can be a challenge. Larry Carnell, ABI, CBI, CFB, CFE, Vice President of Business Development with Benetrends Financial, spoke to the Georgia Association of Business Brokers about how entrepreneurs can use their 401(k), IRA or other qualified retirement account to acquire capital to get approval for an SBA Loan to purchase a business. He also talked about an instant buyer engagement program on how to use cash or retirement funds to help exempt buyers from future capital gain taxes (and proposed increases) and potentially double net inheritance for spouse/children/family.
View a video of the entire meeting on the GABB YouTube channel.
Larry Carnell is a national award- winning entrepreneur and management consultant, as well as a respected business and funding expert at Benetrends. Carnell’s company has programs that allow investors to use part or all of their existing retirement accounts to fund a required down payment for an SBA Loan.
By using long-standing provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), Carnell’s company uses a corporate capitalization strategy that enables 100% of the gain on the sale of the company to be tax free. To use this strategy, the business owner rolls over a portion of the funds from a qualified plan or IRA to start a business. When it’s time to sell the business, you may be able to pay no Federal and State tax on any gain from the sale of the business. Up to 100% of the gain can be invested to gro
w tax-free, including making an investment in another business, according to Carnell.
Carnell also discussed Rollovers as Business Startups or ROBS plan, first introduced by Benetrends Financial as The Rainmaker Plan® in 1983. A ROBS plan is a debt- free funding solution that allows a person to draw from their retirement funds without incurring upfront taxes or early withdrawal penalties. A ROBS plan allows business owners to use their retirement funds, tax-deferred and penalty-free, for the purchase or startup of their business, using a four-step process. He also discussed a Roth Advantage Plan, or RAP.
Advantages of ROBS and RAP plans and similar strategies, according to Carnell, include:
- Increases client engagement (including spouse)
- Superior wealth accumulation & protection (retirement assets cannot be seized by creditors)
- Superior tax benefits (capital gain, income and payroll taxes on retirement contributions)
- Reduces debt and interest payments, Improves cash flow
- Investment NOT a loan – NOT subject to credit rating
- Does NOT adversely impact debt ratios or credit scores
- NOT subject to business profitability
- SBA approved as down payment / equity injection OR used alone
- Improves loan approval rates
- Improves debt ratios Debt free money (SBA approved)
- Improves post close liquidity
- Can be used to leverage BIGGER deal – (Business AND Land) & Broker Fees
- IMPROVES CLOSE RATE
Traditional ROBS features:
- PRETAX use of retirement funds to invest or purchase company stock
- C CORP retirement plan adoption [401(k), hybrid or custom options]
- Retirement Plan BUYS common stock in company
- Company GROWS. Revenues are used to run business. From Profits:
- 401(k) contributions are made NET of payroll taxes (currently 15.3% and rising)
- Rainmaker retirement contributions are EXEMPT from payroll taxes
- Company is SOLD – ‘pretax’ proceeds go into retirement plan
- Proceeds are taxed in the future at future tax rates (expected to rise)
Benetrends offers a NEW Rainmaker/Roth Advantage Plan:
This plan allows business owners to realize the full appreciation of their business tax-free upon the sale of the business, given certain circumstances following the Tax Reduction and Job Creation Act of 2018 (TRJC).
- Cash (minimum of $10k) OR Retirement Funds to invest in company stock
- C CORP creates & adopts 2 CUSTOM retirement plans
- Rainmaker [not a traditional 401(k)] & Rainmaker Roth 401(k)
- Use custom plans to create structure that invests money POST-TAX to BUY common & preferred stock (Taxes due NEXT Year OR 5 year option)
- Company GROWS. Revenues are used for operating expenses
- Retirement contributions are often payroll tax EXEMPT (currently 15.3% and RISING)
- Company SOLD – proceeds forever TAX-FREE & Lifetime protection (no RMDs)
Lenders are finding that these resources are creating enhanced motivation for business ownership, according to Carnell. The perceived security of a job often discourages people from assuming the risks associated with buying or starting a business. When presented, these resources are proving to be effective in helping to engage more borrowers, improve lending approval rates, reduce defaults and leverage larger loans by providing greater access to liquid capital for injection needs, thereby reducing borrowers’ fears while creating dramatic benefits for both the borrower and lender.