#095

The 401(k) Playbook Has Changed (Especially for Business Owners)

Share This:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
The 401(k) Playbook Has Changed

Most people, especially business owners, think of a 401(k) as a basic retirement benefit. A place to stash some money for later years. Something you get once you have "enough" employees. But as 401(k) specialist Matt Rutenberg explains, that traditional view is wildly outdated. Today’s 401(k) rules allow far more flexibility, far bigger tax advantages, and far more wealth-building potential than most business owners ever realize.

Matt joins the show (two Matts, yay!) to walk through how modern 401(k)s actually work, and why almost everything you assume about them is inaccurate. He explains how plan design shapes how much you really get to save, how small business owners and even solopreneurs can legally contribute far more than they think, and how strategic layers like profit sharing, cash-balance plans, and self-directed investing change the game entirely. This episode was an eye-opener!

If you enjoyed this episode of The Matt Feret Show, you may also enjoy:

Understanding Energy: The Industry, How to Invest, and What's Next with CEO of LGX Energy Corp. Howard Crosby

How Your Home Equity Can Power A Better Retirement

Listen to the episode on Apple PodcastsSpotify, Deezer, Podcast Addict, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Alexa Flash Briefing, iHeart, Acast or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.

Brought to you by Prepare for Medicare – The Insider’s Guide  book series. Sign up for the Prepare for Medicare Newsletter, an exclusive subscription-only newsletter that delivers the inside scoop to help you stay up-to-date with your Medicare insurance coverage, highlight Medicare news you can use, and reminders for important dates throughout the year. When you sign up, you’ll immediately gain access to seven FREE Medicare checklists.

Quotes:

“Help me reshift or rethink about what 401Ks mean to the individual, and entrepreneurship doesn’t just mean someone that owns a company with 150 employees. Business owners have a huge advantage in terms of what’s available to them and for tools, like tax tools, right? And so if you’re a solopreneur or you’re an independent contractor or you have a side hustle…you have something available, which is the 401K, because you are self-employed.”

“A lot of people think that $23,500 is the maximum you can put into a 401K. And the reality is, once you’re a business owner, you have this self‑employed income—you don’t need an entity, you just need to have self‑employed income. As long as you’re showing that income, you can unlock this 401K. But once you do that, now we’re talking $70,000 of contributions you can put into a 401K. And even on top of that…multiple six‑digit contributions that you can get into these things.”

“In reality, it’s a tax strategy. It just has to be looked at that way. And when you do that, it just unfolds more opportunity to help scale your business or to buy more franchises or whatever it is—buy real estate, things like that. It’s just knowing how to do that and finding the tools to do it that way.”

#095

The 401(k) Playbook Has Changed (Especially for Business Owners)

Selected Link from the Episode:

Full Show Transcript:

Matt Feret is the host of The Matt Feret Show, which focuses on the health, wealth and wellness of retirees, people over fifty-five and caregivers helping loved ones. He’s also the author of the book series, Prepare for Medicare – The Insider’s Guide to Buying Medicare Insurance and Prepare for Social Security – The Insider’s Guide to Maximizing Your Retirement Benefits.

For up-to-date Medicare information, visit:
www.prepareformedicare.com

© Copyright 2025. MF Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 19 North Grant Street Suite 3A Hinsdale, IL 60521