
Another retirement plan that is available to small business owners is the Keogh Plan. The key benefit of a Keogh is that you can make very large contributions to the plan, up to $170,000 in 2005. A Keogh can be set up without consulting with the IRS, although experts recommend that you get a determination letter from them anyway.
The Keogh can be set up as either a defined benefit plan (a traditional pension where you get a set amount each month) or a defined contribution plan where a set amount is contributed but what you get out depends on the performance of the assets you invest in.
If you choose the defined benefit plan you can contribute the $170,000 for qualifying employees (usually the owner.) The downside is that you have to make the contributions even in years when your profits go down or even if you have a loss.
If you choose the defined contribution plan, contributions are similar to what you can contribute to a SEP or a Uni-k.







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