Business Funding Trust vs My Solo 401k: ROBS Provider Comparison

A ROBS transaction does not put retirement money directly into a founder's personal checking account. Eligible retirement assets move into a new qualified retirement plan sponsored by a C corporation. The plan buys stock in that corporation, and the corporation receives cash it can use for the operating business. The retirement plan then owns employer stock, so the participant's retirement assets are tied to the value of the business.^[1]

The important actors are the individual rolling over eligible retirement assets, the C corporation, the new qualified plan, the plan trustee or fiduciary, the business bank and brokerage relationships, and the service providers that help create or administer the arrangement. The IRS notes that compliance checks look at rollover records, participants, stock valuation, stock purchases, business information, Form 5500 or 5500-EZ, and Form 1120. A provider can help with documents and administration, but the plan sponsor still needs to operate the plan correctly.^[1]

My Solo's pricing page supplies enough inputs for a bounded base calculation. The first year is $3,000 because first-year annual support is included in the setup fee. For three years, only years two and three add the $899 annual fee: $3,000 + ($899 × 2) = $4,798 for the first 10 participants. The published $75 additional-participant charge is excluded from that base case and should be added if the plan exceeds 10 participants.^[5]

Business Funding Trust's fees page says it has no hidden fees, a no-cost alternative, a no-cost plan administration kit, and optional professional plan administrator help for an affordable fee. Those are useful claims to ask about, but they do not provide exact setup, recurring administrator-help, pass-through, valuation, audit, correction, refund, termination or exit prices. No Business Funding Trust total is calculated from the checked pages.^[4]

Both providers describe ROBS funding, but their public pages make different parts of the engagement visible. The practical comparison covers price, formation, account setup, annual administration, valuation, employee issues and audit support after the corporation is funded.

These scenarios are decision aids, not recommendations that one provider is best for every buyer. They show which facts would make each provider easier to diligence from public information, and where written contract terms remain decisive.

Before relying on either provider, ask the same written questions and compare the answers against the services you expect the provider, your accountant, your attorney and the plan sponsor to perform.

• What exactly is included in setup, and who files corporation documents?
• Who obtains the corporation EIN and plan EIN?
• Who opens or coordinates the business bank and plan brokerage accounts?
• Who prepares rollover, stock-subscription and stock-certificate records?
• What annual filing, testing, valuation and participant-support tasks are included?
• What triggers additional participant, valuation, audit, correction, amendment or exit fees?
• What does the provider not do: fiduciary duties, legal advice, tax advice, investment advice or lender packaging?
• What cancellation, refund, data-export and plan-transition rights apply?

Use the public pages to narrow the conversation, then verify the operational details in writing before moving retirement-plan assets into employer stock.

1. Write down the rollover amount, employee count, expected hiring timeline, business type and whether the transaction is a startup, franchise, acquisition or recapitalization.
2. Ask each provider for a written fee schedule using the same assumptions. The DOL recommends giving prospective providers complete and identical information so fees can be compared meaningfully.^[2]
3. Ask a CPA, ERISA attorney or qualified plan professional to review responsibilities that remain with the plan sponsor, especially Form 5500, valuation, employee eligibility, prohibited transactions and exit planning.
4. Compare ROBS with SBA financing, taxable withdrawals, personal savings and other capital sources before committing retirement assets to employer stock.

These answers summarize the comparison for common buyer questions and mirror the FAQPage structured data on this route.

The sources below were reopened directly for this comparison. IRS and DOL materials set the official ROBS and fiduciary-fee boundaries; provider pages establish only what Business Funding Trust and My Solo 401k currently publish about their own pricing and services.

1. Official boundaryIRS ROBS compliance project

   Reopened July 31, 2026. The IRS describes ROBS as an arrangement where a plan uses rollover assets to buy stock of a new C corporation, warns that determination letters do not protect operational failures, and lists compliance-check focus areas including rollovers, participants, stock valuation, stock purchases, Form 5500/5500-EZ and Form 1120.

2. Official boundaryDOL: Understanding Retirement Plan Fees and Expenses

   Reopened July 31, 2026. The DOL explains that plan fiduciaries should evaluate services, provider compensation, bundled or unbundled arrangements, participant information, cybersecurity practices and ongoing monitoring.

3. Provider statementBusiness Funding Trust ROBS Program

   Reopened July 31, 2026. Business Funding Trust says a ROBS solution lets retirement funds be invested in a business personally involved in or actively run by the owner or a family member, and says a 401(k) participant needs to be an employee of the business that adopted the plan. The page also contains duplicated sections and unrelated filler, so only ROBS-specific passages are used.

4. Provider statementBusiness Funding Trust fees

   Reopened July 31, 2026. Business Funding Trust says it has no hidden fees, a no-cost alternative, a no-cost plan administration kit, and optional professional plan administrator help for an affordable fee. The accessible text does not publish complete setup, recurring support, valuation, audit, correction, refund or exit pricing.

5. Provider statementMy Solo 401k pricing

   Reopened July 31, 2026. My Solo publishes a $3,000 setup fee including first-year annual support, an $899 annual fee starting 12 months later for the first 10 participants, and a $75 charge for each additional participant. It also lists formation, EIN, account, transfer, filing, testing, valuation and amendment support items.

6. Provider statementMy Solo 401k process

   Reopened July 31, 2026. My Solo says its attorney and compliance officer are involved from beginning to launch, and describes C corporation formation, plan adoption, EINs, bank and brokerage accounts, transfer of retirement funds, employer-stock purchase and stock certificates.

7. Provider statementMy Solo 401k valuations

   Reopened July 31, 2026. My Solo says existing-business recapitalization needs an initial valuation, annual value is disclosed on the annual 5500 filing, certain events need one-time valuations, and its valuation report service is $495 and free for new clients.

8. Provider statementMy Solo 401k guarantee

   Reopened July 31, 2026. My Solo describes a guarantee available when customers follow procedures and requirements, including audit-response help and reasonable Tax Court counsel only if the IRS or DOL alleges that the plan's initial investment in company stock is a prohibited transaction. Terms and conditions are available upon request.

Use these adjacent provider profiles, comparison pages and pricing resources to check the broader ROBS provider landscape before narrowing your written questions.