The vast majority of those that have to "delay" or even "cancel" their retirement is due to a lack of planning and action. We'll help you craft a plan, or ensure your existing plan will get you where you ACTUALLY want it to go.
It's all too common for someone to cry, "too busy". We get it, you're running a business. But what if you let your business keep you from taking care of your family's future. What was the point?
Is your plan designed for your retirement or your advisor's? We've reviewed plans and strategies that have a baked in, extra, $500,000 in unneeded fees between now and your retirement. Basically, you could have bought an entire house with those fees... ouch.
Unlike people, plans and strategies are NOT created equal, at least not when designing around retirement. When it comes to extracting money for your family, the details matter.
The fact of the matter is most business owners don't know what to invest in because they don't have the bandwidth to research.
A business can take up all of your time and money. That said, if you treat your wealth-plan like a bill, you'll inevitably pay it.
We help you create a bill you actually WANT to pay.
Why? Because this bill helps you achieve freedom.
You're at Thanksgiving dinner with your extended family; everyone's bragging about their kids, their job and how successful they are. For yet another year, your uncle Hank talks about his diversified portfolio and you tell him you're on your 14th real estate course or "searching" the market for the perfect first property.
Truth is, passive investing does require a lot of knowledge and finding the right opportunity. Unfortunately, you don't make money while you're figuring out your plan. Your indecision is costing you money.
Especially if you keep your start up capital in the bank… where it's suffering from Inflation Erosion and missed returns, your indecision is actually losing you money.
If, to combat that inflation you have money in the market, your assets likely have zero protection from a downturn in the market. This leads to…
The truth is, a major market correction, is when those prepared and in-the-know, MULTIPLY their wealth, instead of simply adding to it.
If your money mirrors the returns of the market, you lose buying power at the exact moment, and rate, that you need liquid assets; thus missing the once-in-a-lifetime investing opportunities.
If cash is sitting in a savings account, your money is worse than lazy, it's losing value to inflation… every day it sits in the bank, safe and sound, your cash loses buying power.
While your 401k or IRA will likely produce a return, you must REMOVE those assets from the market to benefit from their growth.
You might be looking at your account value with little thought of the investment partner you've been investing for along the way… You say: "What?!? I don't have an investment partner! This is all MY money!"…
Yes, the account is in your name, but when it comes to withdrawing that money, you've got a 20 to 30% partner in Uncle Sam! You owe TAXES when you withdraw money from your retirement accounts!
While 401k's and IRAs should be a part of your plan, don't make the mistake of thinking they should be the entirety. There are accounts available with access within years, not decades.
It is possible to pay no taxes, or significantly less, in retirement. You don't have to make a major investment partner out of Uncle Sam.
What if you could ride the market up in good years, and skip out on the bad years? Our team can show you how to add this to your broader strategy.
Maybe your purpose for investing is to bring retirement forward. Planning this out is not a bad idea. We keep your "war chest" growing in the meantime.
The 2008 crash, like all crashes, was terrible for most - but not for all. Those who had liquid assets with retained buying power didn't just "weather the storm", they rode the lightning. Ensure you have a plan for both the good years and bad.
If you want to be prepared for retirement, but also want to build wealth today, our team can help you build a strategy to accomplish both. It's not easy, it takes greater discipline, but everything worth doing usually does.
“What stands out most is Forge's professionalism and responsiveness. My broker always takes the time to explain details in clear, digestible pieces, which has made the whole thing so much less overwhelming.”
“I am so grateful for the outstanding support Forge has provided me and my family. Curtis is extremely knowledgeable about the plans and benefits, and has been a tremendous help guiding me to the best options for our needs.”
“Clearwater took the burden off my shoulders. I'm paying $12,000 less a year for a health plan. Under the old pricing I always felt I was taking care of one thing and hurting another.”
For a one-person business, the Solo 401(k) usually wins. Both let you put away a lot, but the Solo 401(k) reaches that ceiling at a much lower income because you contribute as employee and employer, and it adds a Roth option and the ability to borrow. A SEP is simpler, but you need a big income to max it. The common "a SEP always lets you save more" idea is usually backwards.
There's no magic number, but the accounts allow up to $72,000 in 2026, and a common floor is 15 to 25 percent of your net income, nudged higher because nobody's matching you. The real trap isn't the percentage. It's treating "pour everything back into the business" as the retirement plan. That stacks all your risk on one thing you can't easily sell.
Yes, through specific legal doors, not by breaking the rules. A 72(t) schedule of equal payments, a Roth conversion ladder, withdrawing Roth contributions you already made, and the Rule of 55 for a 401(k) if you leave work at 55 or later. Each has strict conditions, but it is not all locked up until 59½ the way people assume.
It's the risk that matters most right as you retire. A market drop in your first few retirement years does outsized damage, because you're pulling money out while your balance is down and those dollars never recover. The fix is a cash or short-term bond buffer so you're not forced to sell stocks into a crash. The order of your returns can matter more than the average.
Diversify, keep a cash-and-bonds bucket you can live on for a couple of years, and don't let your own business be your entire net worth. One important distinction we see people miss: protecting against market loss and protecting against a lawsuit are two different problems that need two different tools. We help you sort which one you're actually solving for.
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Read itHere you'll find information spanning the HR and benefits spectrum. We strive to bring you value.
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