What the comparison turns on
A rollover as business startup, or ROBS, uses a C corporation and its qualified retirement plan to move eligible retirement assets into employer stock. The plan buys stock in the corporation, the corporation receives business capital, and the retirement plan holds shares whose value depends on the business. The IRS describes that employer-stock structure and warns that operational failures, discriminatory operation, valuation issues, missing filings, and business failure can create serious consequences.[1]
This comparison evaluates the provider facts that change a buyer's decision: setup scope, ongoing administration, public fees, written-quote gaps, employee-plan support, and sale or shutdown support.
Pricing math: Guidant is public; Tenet is quote-only
Guidant publishes two starting inputs: 401(k) Business Financing starting at $5,495 and 401(k) Plan Administration starting at $149 per month.[3][4] The arithmetic is exact for that public starting-price example: $5,495 + ($149 × 12) = $7,283 for the first year, and $5,495 + ($149 × 36) = $10,859 for three years.
Tenet Financial's checked public pages describe ROBS plan design, installation, and administration, but they do not publish the setup fee, recurring administration fee, billing cadence, pass-through costs, or minimum quote terms.[5][6] For that reason, there is no Tenet first-year total, no Tenet three-year total, and no comparison that treats Guidant's public total as equivalent to a Tenet total.
| Provider | Setup | Annual administration | First year | Three years | Formula / scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guidant401(k) Business Financing plus starting administration | $5,495 | $1,788 | $7,283 | $10,859 | $5,495 + ($149 × 12) = $7,283; $5,495 + ($149 × 36) = $10,859 Starting prices only. SBA packaging, payroll, tax, bookkeeping, state charges, custodian or brokerage costs, correction work, termination work, and contract pass-throughs may be separate unless the agreement says otherwise. [3][4] |
| Tenet Financial GroupROBS plan design, installation and administration | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Unknown setup + unknown recurring administration + unknown pass-throughs = no public total Tenet's checked official pages do not publish setup dollars, recurring administration dollars, billing cadence, minimum quote terms, additional-service fees or pass-throughs; therefore no Tenet first-year or three-year total is computed. [5][6] |
Service scope by provider
The table below uses the same questions for both providers. “Not found publicly” does not mean the provider will not do the task; it means the checked public pages did not state enough to support the claim. The DOL's fee guidance is the useful standard here: compare the services you need, who provides them, how compensation works, and whether the total cost is reasonable for the services delivered.[2]
| Service question | Guidant | Tenet Financial | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup / implementation | Published support “Starting at $5,495” [4] | Published support “plan design, installation, and administration” [5] | Both describe setup work; only Guidant publishes a setup price. |
| C corporation and plan formation | Not found publicly | Published support “establishment of a C-Corporation and a 401(k) Plan” [5] | Tenet names both formation pieces. Guidant describes ROBS setup, but the checked pages do not itemize both documents. |
| EIN tasks | Not found publicly | Not found publicly | Neither checked provider page names EIN preparation or responsible actor. |
| Bank, trust or brokerage accounts | Coordination stated “coordinated banking” [4] | Not found publicly | Guidant states coordinated banking. Tenet's checked pages do not specify bank, trust or brokerage setup. |
| Rollover / stock purchase | Published support “ROBS funding can be accessed in as little as three weeks” [4] | Published support “rollover the funds into a new Plan that then invests in the company” [5] “buy stock in your new company” [5] | Both support the funding sequence. Transfer forms, custody, and stock-subscription details still belong in the agreement. |
| Ongoing administration | Published support “401(k) Plan Administration starting at $149 per month” [3] “Compliance Review” [3] | Published support “Third-Party Administrator” [5] “plan design, installation, and administration” [5] | Both publish administration support; only Guidant publishes a recurring public price. |
| Employee participation | Not found publicly | Coordination stated “employees can also be eligible” [5] “help you keep track of employee eligibility and contributions” [5] | Tenet discusses employee tracking. Public pages do not show added-participant charges. |
| Eligibility, contributions and vesting | Not found publicly | Coordination stated “eligibility requirements” [5] “Pretax Deferrals” [5] “Employer Match or Profit Sharing Contribution” [5] | Tenet names these concepts; detailed vesting and signature duties require plan documents. |
| Testing and filings | Not found publicly | Coordination stated “Tenet Financial Group will help you file an annual IRS Form 5500” [5] “IRS filing requirements” [5] | Tenet names Form 5500 help. Testing, 5500-EZ boundaries, 8955-SSA, 1099-R, and Form 945 scope are not public. |
| Participant notices | Not found publicly | Not found publicly | Neither checked provider page states notice preparation, timing, delivery method or responsible signer. |
| Valuation / annual fair market value | Published support “we have an in-house team of expert valuation analysts” [3] | Not found publicly | Guidant publishes valuation support. Tenet's checked pages do not state valuation support for employer stock. |
| IRS audit defense-fee wording | Published support “covers qualified attorney defense fees if the IRS ever audits your plan” [3] | Not found publicly | Only Guidant publishes this audit-protection wording in the checked pages. |
| Amendments / restatements | Published support “Plan amendments” [3] | Not found publicly | Guidant names plan amendments. Tenet's broad administration language does not prove amendment or restatement inclusion. |
| SBA or other financing coordination | Coordination stated “SBA Loan Packaging” [3] “$ 2500 one-time setup fee.” [3] | Coordination stated “ROBS, SBA 7(a) loans, or other types of funding” [5] “Funding Partners” [6] | Both have financing-adjacent passages. SBA lender fees and loan terms are separate from ROBS administration. |
| Custody / investment-advice scope | Not found publicly | Not found publicly | Neither checked source establishes included custody, brokerage, investment selection or investment advice. |
| Plan corrections | Not found publicly | Not found publicly | Neither checked provider source states VCP, DFVCP, failed-testing, prohibited-transaction, correction-fee or signature scope. |
| Sale, dissolution or termination | Not found publicly | Coordination stated “dissolve the Corporation or sell the business” [5] “walk you through this step-by-step process” [5] | Tenet names sale/dissolution guidance. Final valuation, redemption, final filing and fee scope are not public. |
| Cancellation / refunds | Not found publicly | Not found publicly | Guidant's setup satisfaction guarantee does not state full cancellation mechanics; Tenet's checked pages do not state cancellation or refund rights. |
| Data ownership / exports | Not found publicly | Not found publicly | Neither checked source states record ownership, export format, participant-data handoff, transition files, cybersecurity contract terms or termination data rights. |
| Contract exclusions / pass-throughs | Not found publicly | Not found publicly “does not provide tax, legal, or investment advice” [5] | Published starting prices and quote-only pages do not prove the complete contract price. Tax, legal, investment, state, custodian, brokerage, correction and exit items require written terms. |
Scenario summary: when each provider is easier to diligence
Use these scenarios as a shortlist guide before you compare written agreements. They are not rankings; they show which public facts make each provider easier to diligence for a specific need. Read the cards as prompts for what to verify in each written agreement, not as a substitute for the contract.
Choose neither if a provider will not give you a written service schedule, fee schedule, cancellation terms, exit-fee terms, and role map before you sign. A lower or higher quote is not meaningful unless it covers the same work.
Contract questions to ask before choosing
Ask both providers the same questions and require written answers. A useful quote should identify the service, the responsible party, the fee, and the event that triggers any extra charge. Use this list to turn the public comparison into a contract review agenda before you sign.
- What exact setup fee, recurring administration fee, employee fee, valuation fee, correction fee, and exit or termination fee applies?
- Who forms the C corporation, prepares the plan document, opens accounts, coordinates the rollover, prepares stock-purchase documents, and signs each filing?
- Are Form 5500, Form 1120 coordination, Form 1099-R, Form 945, participant notices, amendments, restatements, and employee eligibility tracking included?
- What tax, legal, investment-advice, CPA, custodian, brokerage, state filing, and registered-agent costs are excluded?
- What happens if the business purchase falls through, the owner cancels, employees become eligible sooner than expected, the business fails, or the company is sold?
- How can the business export records and participant data if it changes administrators?
ROBS responsibilities that neither provider can erase
A provider can help establish and administer the arrangement, but the business still sponsors a qualified retirement plan. The IRS source highlights plan status, participant information, stock valuation, stock purchases, annual returns, corporate returns, promoter fees, and operational failures as recurring ROBS issues.[1] The DOL source adds that fiduciaries must evaluate fees, services, compensation, participant information, and ongoing monitoring.[2]
Those duties matter most when the company hires employees, adds contributions, changes ownership, needs a valuation, misses a filing, fails testing, sells assets, redeems plan-held stock, or terminates the plan. Treat the provider contract as a responsibility map, not just a price quote.
FAQs
These answers cover the questions most likely to change a provider decision. Each answer cites the source set used for the material claim.
Who is better, Guidant or Tenet Financial?
Neither is a universal winner. Guidant is easier to compare when published starting fees, valuation support, audit-protection wording, and broader business-service coordination matter.[3][4] Tenet may fit a buyer who wants a ROBS-focused TPA that publicly discusses employee eligibility, Form 5500 help, and sale or dissolution support.[5] The written contract should decide the final choice.
Can I compare Guidant's public total with Tenet's total?
No. Guidant's public starting-price math can be calculated.[3][4] Tenet's checked official pages do not publish setup dollars, recurring administration dollars, billing cadence or pass-through fees, so this page does not create a Tenet first-year or three-year total.[5][6]
What is ROBS in this comparison?
In a standard ROBS structure, a C corporation sponsors a qualified retirement plan; eligible retirement assets roll into that plan; the plan buys stock in the C corporation; and the corporation receives business capital while the plan holds employer stock.[1]
Which provider is clearer about employee-plan administration?
Tenet's checked page is more explicit about employee eligibility, pretax deferrals, employer match or profit-sharing concepts, Form 5500 help, and assigned administrator access.[5] Guidant publishes administration pricing and compliance-review wording, but the checked pages do not itemize every employee-administration task.[3]
What should I ask both providers before signing?
Ask for setup fees, monthly or annual administration fees, employee charges, valuation fees, correction fees, exit or termination fees, state and custodian costs, cancellation rights, data export rights, who signs filings, and which tax, legal or investment-advice items are excluded.[2][3][5]
Sources and related reading
All six material sources were re-opened July 30, 2026. Provider pages establish what each provider publicly says; they do not prove service quality, compliance quality, or customer outcomes. Affiliate compensation has no role in this comparison.
- IRS ROBS compliance project
Official source re-opened July 30, 2026: a ROBS arrangement uses retirement funds to buy stock of a new C corporation; IRS checks have focused on plan status, rollover/direct transfer information, participants, stock valuation and stock purchases, Form 5500/5500-EZ and Form 1120 filing issues, and operational failures not protected by a determination letter.
- DOL: Understanding Retirement Plan Fees and Expenses
Official source re-opened July 30, 2026: retirement-plan fiduciaries should evaluate whether services are necessary, whether costs are reasonable, how bundled and unbundled arrangements work, participant fee information, ongoing monitoring, and cybersecurity practices.
- Guidant pricing
Provider source re-opened July 30, 2026: 401(k) Business Financing starts at $5,495; 401(k) Plan Administration starts at $149 per month; Guidant describes Lifetime Audit Protection, ERISA attorney access, compliance review, plan amendments, business valuation, lifelong business support, ROBS/SBA/payroll/tax/bookkeeping/valuation services, and separate SBA Loan Packaging at a $2,500 one-time setup fee.
- Guidant 401(k) Business Financing
Provider source re-opened July 30, 2026: ROBS funding can be accessed in as little as three weeks; starting price is $5,495; Guidant describes coordinated banking, compliance assurance, lifetime audit protection, one-stop support for ROBS, SBA, payroll, tax, bookkeeping and valuations, a satisfaction guarantee for setup services, at least $60,000 in rollable retirement or pension assets, and Roth IRA ineligibility.
- Tenet Financial Group ROBS Funding
Provider source re-opened July 30, 2026: Tenet describes itself as a Third-Party Administrator specializing in ROBS plan design, installation, and administration; typical funding in 4-5 weeks; $50,000 in pre-tax funds; C corporation and 401(k) plan establishment; employee eligibility and contribution tracking; sale/dissolution walkthrough; annual Form 5500 help; assigned administrator access; and no tax, legal, or investment advice.
- Tenet Financial Group Partners
Provider source re-opened July 30, 2026: Tenet says partnerships cover financing and business startup processes for franchisors, consultants, brokers, funding partners, CPAs and professionals; the page displays FRANCHISES WE HAVE FUNDED; no public dollar setup or recurring administration price was found.