Direct answer: compare fit, not a single winner
Guidant may fit a buyer who wants public starting-price visibility, a provider that says it covers qualified attorney defense fees if the IRS audits the plan, and a provider that separately advertises SBA loan packaging. Aprio may fit a buyer who wants ROBS work connected to a broader tax and advisory firm and who values detailed public language around entity setup, rollover coordination, stock execution, annual administration, founder tax consultation, business valuation, and exit support; if Accelefund is also on the shortlist, compare the same issues in the Guidant vs Accelefund analysis.
The limit is pricing. Guidant publishes the inputs needed for a simple starting-price scenario. Aprio does not publish an exact ROBS setup fee, ongoing administration fee, first-year total, three-year total, cancellation charge, or refund term on the checked public page. That means no Aprio total is computed, and Guidant's public total should not be treated as cheaper or more expensive than Aprio without a written Aprio quote.
Which provider may fit which buyer
These scenarios are practical starting points for conversations with each provider. They are not recommendations to use ROBS, and they do not replace legal, tax, benefits, valuation, lending, or investment advice.
Public pricing and the exact Guidant arithmetic
Guidant publishes 401(k) Business Financing starting at $5,495 and 401(k) Plan Administration starting at $149 per month. The public arithmetic is $5,495 + ($149 × 12) = $7,283 for the first year and $5,495 + ($149 × 36) = $10,859 for three years. Those totals use only published starting-price inputs and exclude services that require separate pricing or contract review. [3][4]
Aprio's checked ROBS page describes service scope, but no exact public setup, ongoing, first-year, or three-year price appears there. No Aprio total is computed. Treat Aprio as quote-only until the written proposal states setup fees, recurring administration fees, participant or employee charges, valuation costs, correction costs, pass-through expenses, termination fees, cancellation rights, refund terms, and what services are excluded. [5]
Service comparison by practical decision area
The cards below use the same decision areas for both providers. A named service means the checked public source uses direct language for that task. Related support means the public source points to adjacent help but does not prove the exact ROBS task, scope, or price. Ask in writing means no checked public passage named the task.
Contract questions to ask before choosing either provider
Public pages are not the contract. Before comparing a Guidant quote with an Aprio quote, ask both providers the same written questions so the scope and price are comparable.
Responsibility boundaries a provider comparison cannot erase
A ROBS arrangement moves retirement assets into a qualified retirement plan sponsored by a C corporation. The plan buys employer stock, and the business receives operating capital. The IRS describes ROBS as using retirement funds to buy stock of a new C corporation and warns that a favorable determination letter does not protect the sponsor from operational failures or discriminatory operation. [1]
The DOL's fee guidance is also relevant because provider choice is part of plan governance. Fiduciaries should evaluate whether services are necessary and reasonably priced, understand bundled and unbundled arrangements, monitor providers over time, and ask cybersecurity questions when participant data or plan records are handled by a service provider. [2]
Guidant's audit-protection language and Aprio's ERISA and Internal Revenue Code structuring language are useful provider facts. They do not, by themselves, transfer plan-sponsor responsibility, prove all annual administration tasks, or answer what happens during an IRS or DOL inquiry, plan correction, business failure, sale, or plan termination.
Frequently asked questions
These questions match the structured FAQ data on this page so readers and search engines receive the same answers.
Sources used for this comparison
The provider facts on this page come from public official and provider-controlled pages reopened on July 31, 2026. Provider-controlled pages establish what each provider says publicly; they do not prove service quality, suitability, or that a service is included for a specific client without the written agreement.
[1] IRS ROBS compliance project
IRS page last reviewed or updated November 16, 2025; reopened July 31, 2026. It describes a ROBS as retirement funds rolled into a plan that buys stock of a new C corporation, notes that determination letters do not protect operational failures, and lists compliance-check questions about plan status, contributions, rollovers, participants, stock valuation, stock purchases, business information, Form 5500/5500-EZ, and Form 1120.
Open source[2] DOL retirement plan fees
DOL fiduciary-fee guidance reopened July 31, 2026. It says fiduciaries should ensure plan services are necessary and reasonable, evaluate complete services and compensation, understand bundled and unbundled arrangements, monitor providers over time, and ask about cybersecurity practices when a provider maintains plan records or participant data.
Open source[3] Guidant pricing
Guidant pricing page reopened July 31, 2026. It publishes 401(k) Business Financing starting at $5,495 and 401(k) Plan Administration starting at $149 per month. It states lifetime audit protection covers qualified attorney defense fees if the IRS audits the plan, mentions ERISA attorney access, a one-stop shop for ROBS, SBA, payroll, tax, bookkeeping and business valuations, compliance review, plan amendments, business valuation, lifelong support, and separate SBA Loan Packaging at a $2,500 one-time setup fee.
Open source[4] Guidant 401(k) Business Financing
Guidant ROBS page reopened July 31, 2026. It says ROBS funding can be accessed in as little as three weeks, repeats starting at $5,495, mentions coordinated banking, compliance assurance, lifetime audit protection, one-stop support for ROBS, SBA, payroll, tax, bookkeeping and business valuations, states at least $60,000 in a rollable retirement or pension account, and states Roth IRAs are not eligible for ROBS.
Open source[5] Aprio ROBS services
Aprio ROBS page reopened July 31, 2026. It says Aprio helps use existing 401(k) or IRA retirement savings to fund a new or existing business; describes C-corporation formation and ROBS setup, compliance documentation, rollover coordination, ongoing advisory support, C-corporation registration, state registration, EIN obtainment, entity setup, plan document drafting, plan adoption, IRS compliance documentation, QES framework implementation, direction-of-investment documentation, stock purchase execution, annual administration, ongoing compliance monitoring, founder tax consultation, compensation strategy, equity planning, financial-model advisory, business valuation, and eventual M&A and exit support. It does not publish exact ROBS prices on the checked page.
Open source[6] Aprio valuation and investigations
Aprio valuation page reopened July 31, 2026. It describes independent valuation services, data-driven results, business valuations, purchase price allocations, shareholder buyouts, appraisals, transaction opinions, disputes and investigations. This supports Aprio's broader valuation capability, not included ROBS administration pricing or an annual ROBS valuation duty.
Open source