You sponsor the plan, so you carry the most exposure and stand to gain the most from it. Yet owner-sponsored plans are usually built to clear compliance - not to make the most of what you personally set aside or reduce the liability that sits on your name.
That gap - roughly $47,500 a year for 2026 - is largely money that would otherwise go straight to taxes. In our experience, most plans never capture it because they were never designed to.
Figures reflect 2026 IRS limits: $24,500 employee elective deferral and a $72,000 total annual-additions limit (higher with age-50+ catch-up contributions). Limits change annually, and your actual maximum depends on plan design, compensation, and age. This is a hypothetical example for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as specific tax advice. You should consult a legal or tax professional regarding your individual situation.
Getting an owner well past the standard deferral isn't a trick - it's deliberate plan design. Three levers do most of the work, layered to fit your income and your goals.
As plan sponsor, you're a named fiduciary under ERISA. That means you personally - not your company - can be held responsible for plan losses, unreasonable fees, and compliance failures. Most owners don't see that exposure clearly until something tests it.
We serve as a 3(21) investment fiduciary to the plan. You keep final authority and remain the decision-maker - but our recommendations are held to a fiduciary standard, and the governance behind them is documented and monitored. That is a very different commitment than simply selling you a service.
The plan shouldn't serve only your employees. We design and run it so it works just as hard for the person who signs for it.
Many aren't. Thirty minutes is enough to see if you're leaving anything on the table - and what a better-built plan could do for you.
Find out what you're leavingNo commitment. Just a straightforward look at whether your plan is working as hard as it should.