Scenario-qualified answer
The useful answer depends on whether the buyer is comparing known ongoing support or a promotion-limited first-year display.
My Solo 401k is easier to diligence from public pages when a buyer wants reproducible three-year math and task detail. Its pricing page says $3,000 includes setup and the first 12 months of support, then $899 starts 12 months later for the first 10 participants, with $75 per additional participant. The same public source lists Form 5500 preparation, participant additions, Form 1099-R reporting, annual routine corporation valuation, amendments, participant-statement review, contribution and vesting monitoring, contribution computation, nondiscrimination testing, top-heavy, additions and coverage work.[3]
IRA Financial is easier to diligence for a lower first-year public display if the buyer can use SUMMER200. Its ROBS page shows a $3,500 setup fee and $1,000 / first year, while the terms say SUMMER200 runs from July 15, 2026 through August 31, 2026, requires the code at application, applies to ROBS 401(k), and excludes custodian fees, transaction fees, wire fees, expedited processing fees, third-party costs and any other charges.[7][8]
A ROBS, or Rollovers as Business Startups arrangement, is not a personal withdrawal or a loan. Eligible retirement assets move into a qualified retirement plan sponsored by a C corporation; the plan buys stock in that corporation; and the corporation receives business capital. The plan owns employer stock, so the retirement account becomes exposed to the value of the business. IRS and DOL materials make the filing, valuation, participant, provider-monitoring and fiduciary issues part of the decision, not an afterthought.[1][2]
Published pricing and reproducible math
The current public arithmetic supports one My Solo 401k three-year scenario and only one IRA Financial first-year scenario.
My Solo 401k's year-one total is $3,000 because the provider says first-year annual support is included in the setup fee. Years two and three add two $899 renewals, so $3,000 + ($899 × 2) = $4,798 for the first 10 participants. If the plan has 11 participants, the stated added-participant charge adds $75 to the applicable year under My Solo's published boundary; larger employee counts require a written quote rather than a guessed total.[3]
IRA Financial's source-supported first-year display is $3,500 + $1,000 = $4,500. This page does not multiply the first-year account-fee display across later years, because the $1,000 appears as first-year pricing tied to SUMMER200 and the checked sources do not publish the renewal amount. Unknown renewal is not zero and not a price advantage by itself.[7][8]
How setup and money movement work
Both providers describe the core ROBS sequence, but My Solo 401k publishes more account-opening and document-task detail in the checked sources.
The basic sequence is: form a C corporation, adopt a qualified retirement plan that can invest in employer securities, roll eligible retirement assets into that plan, have the plan purchase corporation stock, move the stock-purchase proceeds to the corporation, and use the corporation's cash for the operating business. My Solo 401k describes C corporation formation, plan adoption, corporation and plan EINs, bank and brokerage accounts, transfer of former-employer retirement funds, employer-stock purchase, wiring funds to the corporation bank account and issuing stock certificates.[4]
IRA Financial says it will establish a C Corporation and New 401(k), set up a C Corp and create a qualified plan, roll over retirement funds, and have the plan purchase stock in the corporation. The checked IRA Financial pages do not specify the bank-account, brokerage-account, EIN, wire-instruction or stock-document checklist, so those items should be requested before signing.[7]
Account eligibility is separate from provider setup. A former-employer 401(k), some IRAs, a 403(b), TSP or other retirement account may or may not be available depending on the account type, plan terms, distribution restrictions, Roth status, outstanding loans, required minimum distributions and rollover rules. The provider comparison cannot establish a specific person's eligibility; the buyer needs the governing account documents and tax advice where facts are complicated.
Service comparison without treating silence as zero
Each card separates public evidence from unknowns. Unknown means the checked provider-controlled sources did not publish the actor, task, fee, timing or contract term. It is not silence-as-zero and not a negative score.
How to choose which provider to investigate first
The better starting point depends on whether the buyer values published operational detail, near-term price, professional boundaries or employee-plan complexity.
Either provider may be a poor fit if the rollover would consume most retirement savings, the business is undercapitalized, eligible employees are likely soon, the owner needs lender underwriting discipline, or a loan, seller note, taxable distribution, personal savings, self-directed IRA, Solo 401(k) loan or outside equity would create a better risk tradeoff.
Written questions to send before signing
These questions convert public marketing into contract diligence and keep unknowns from becoming assumptions.
- For IRA Financial, what is the annual renewal amount after the first-year account-fee display?
- For My Solo 401k, exactly when does the $75 additional-participant charge apply and how is the participant count measured?
- Which corporation, plan, trust, rollover, subscription, stock-certificate, stock-ledger and board documents are delivered?
- Who opens or coordinates the corporate bank account, plan brokerage or custody account, wire instructions and transfer forms?
- What is included for employee eligibility, participant notices, contribution calculations, vesting, nondiscrimination testing and top-heavy testing?
- Who prepares, reviews and signs Form 5500, Form 1099-R, Form 945 if applicable, plan amendments and correction submissions?
- What valuation is included at setup, annually, after additional stock purchases, at stock buyback, at business sale and at plan termination?
- What exactly does audit support include, and who pays legal, accounting, correction, penalty or interest costs outside the published language?
- What fees or work apply for cancellation, refunds, data export, administrator transition, sale, shutdown, stock redemption and final filings?
- Which services are excluded as legal, tax, accounting, trustee, fiduciary, custodian, brokerage or lender work?
Professional and source boundaries
Provider support can reduce administrative friction, but it does not transfer every fiduciary, tax, legal, valuation or business decision to the provider.
The IRS describes ROBS plans as questionable in part because they may solely benefit the individual who rolls retirement funds into the plan, and its project identified failed businesses, missing Form 5500/Form 1120 filings, stock-valuation issues, discrimination concerns, prohibited transactions and promoter fees. The DOL says fiduciaries must evaluate services and fees, select and monitor providers prudently and keep participant information obligations in view.[1][2]
My Solo 401k's guarantee should be read with its limits: it applies as long as customers follow procedures and requirements, includes audit-response assistance, and mentions reasonable Tax Court counsel only if the IRS or DOL alleges the retirement plan's initial company-stock investment is a prohibited transaction. Terms and conditions are available upon request, so the written guarantee controls details not visible on the public page.[6]
IRA Financial's Guaranteed IRS audit protection phrase should be read alongside its terms. IRA Financial says it is a retirement account facilitator, document filing and do-it-yourself document service, not a law firm, and that it does not provide legal, accounting or other professional services. That makes the audit claim a due-diligence question, not a promise of full legal representation or payment of penalties.[7][8]
FAQ
These answers keep the pricing, renewal, audit and unknown-service limits visible before a buyer asks for written terms.
Sources checked
All material sources were reopened on July 31, 2026. Provider-controlled sources establish what each provider publishes, not whether a provider is best, safest or sufficient for a specific buyer.
- IRS ROBS compliance project
Official boundary source. Checked July 31, 2026. The IRS describes ROBS as an arrangement in which retirement assets move into a plan that buys stock of a new C corporation, and it identifies Form 5500/Form 1120, rollover records, participant information, stock valuation, discrimination, prohibited-transaction, promoter-fee and business-failure issues.
- DOL: Understanding Retirement Plan Fees and Expenses
Official boundary source. Checked July 31, 2026. The DOL says retirement-plan fiduciaries prudently select and monitor service providers, evaluate necessary services and reasonable costs, understand bundled and unbundled fees, provide participant information when required, and continue monitoring after selection.
- My Solo 401k pricing
Provider-controlled source. Checked July 31, 2026. My Solo 401k publishes a $3,000 setup fee including free first-year annual support, says the $3,000 covers corporation formation, 401k/PSP establishment and transfers from IRAs and former employer plans, and says the $899 annual fee starts 12 months later for the first 10 participants with $75 per additional participant.
- My Solo 401k process
Provider-controlled source. Checked July 31, 2026. My Solo 401k says its attorney and compliance officer are involved from beginning to launch, and it describes C corporation formation, adoption of a 401k business financing plan, EINs, bank and brokerage accounts, transfer of former employer retirement funds, employer-stock purchase, wire to the corporate bank account and stock certificates.
- My Solo 401k valuations
Provider-controlled source. Checked July 31, 2026. My Solo 401k says an existing-business recapitalization needs an initial valuation, annual company-stock value is disclosed on Form 5500, one-time valuations may be needed for additional investment, stock buyback and distributions including RMDs, and its valuation report service is $495 and free for new clients.
- My Solo 401k guarantee
Provider-controlled source. Checked July 31, 2026. My Solo 401k says its guarantee applies at no additional cost as long as customers follow procedures and requirements, includes assistance with an IRS or DOL plan audit, and provides reasonable legal counsel for Tax Court only if the IRS or DOL alleges the plan's initial employer-stock investment is a prohibited transaction; terms and conditions are available upon request.
- IRA Financial ROBS 401(k)
Provider-controlled source. Checked July 31, 2026. IRA Financial's ROBS page shows $1,200 crossed out, $1,000 / first year, Promo: SUMMER200, $200 OFF and a $3500 setup fee. It says IRA Financial will establish a C Corporation and New 401(k), set up a C Corp and create a qualified plan, roll over retirement funds, have the plan purchase corporation stock, provide ongoing maintenance and offer Guaranteed IRS audit protection.
- IRA Financial terms and SUMMER200 promotion
Provider-controlled source. Checked July 31, 2026. IRA Financial says it is a retirement account facilitator, document filing, and do-it-yourself document service, not a law firm, and that it does not provide legal, accounting or other professional services. SUMMER200 applies to new eligible accounts opened July 15, 2026 through August 31, 2026, requires the code at application, provides a one-time $200 credit to the first-year account fee, excludes custodian, transaction, wire, expedited-processing, third-party and other charges, and may affect refunds if closed within the first year.