My Solo 401k vs Nexus 401(k): ROBS Provider Comparison

The short version

Choose My Solo for further diligence if your main constraint is published base cost, the plan is likely to stay at 10 or fewer participants, and you are comfortable confirming the items outside the base fee in writing. Its pricing page states that the $3,000 setup fee includes the first 12 months of support, then $899 per year for the first 10 participants and $75 for each additional participant.^[3]

Choose Nexus for further diligence if you want a public bundle that expressly names more recurring corporate and plan-maintenance pieces. Nexus states that its $5,000 setup plus $500 quarterly administration includes formation, plan and trust establishment, rollover coordination, stock issuance, fidelity bond, Form 5500 filing, required testing, bond renewal, cap table and valuation recordkeeping, registered-agent renewal, and filing-service fees.^[6]

Do not treat either public page as a signed scope of work. The Department of Labor says fiduciaries should compare providers by asking which services are covered, which are not, what compensation the provider receives, and whether fees remain reasonable over time.^[2]

ROBS mechanics: the plan, the corporation, and the business are separate actors

A rollover as business startup, or ROBS, moves eligible retirement-plan assets into a new qualified retirement plan sponsored by a C corporation. The plan uses the rollover assets to buy stock in that C corporation. The corporation receives operating capital, and the retirement plan receives employer stock instead of a diversified public-market portfolio.^[1]

The sequence matters. My Solo describes forming a new C corporation, adopting a 401(k) business financing plan that can buy employer stock, obtaining EINs, opening bank and brokerage accounts, transferring former-employer retirement funds, wiring plan money to the corporation, and issuing stock certificates with corporate documents.^[4] Nexus describes C corporation formation, 401(k) plan and trust establishment, direct rollover coordination, and stock issuance to the 401(k) plan trust.^[6]

A provider can help coordinate those steps, but the owner does not become exempt from plan duties. The DOL explains that a retirement plan needs a written plan, a trust, recordkeeping for money moving into and out of the plan, and documents for participants and government agencies. Fiduciary responsibility turns on functions performed, not job title.^[2]

Published pricing math you can reproduce

My Solo 401k

$3,000 first year

$4,798 three years

Formula: $3,000 first year; $3,000 + ($899 × 2) = $4,798 over three years for first 10 participants

Not included in that number: The $75 per additional participant charge is outside the first-10-participant base case. State, professional, correction, audit, termination, exit, and unusual project costs still need written confirmation.

Nexus 401(k)

$7,000 first year

$11,000 three years

Formula: $5,000 + ($500 × 4) = $7,000 first year; $5,000 + ($500 × 12) = $11,000 over three years

Not included in that number: State annual report, franchise tax, business license, fintech partner economics, outside professional work, corrections, audits, termination, exits, and exceptional work are not fixed in this public base calculation.

For My Solo, the first-year calculation is simple because the provider states the first 12 months of support are included in the $3,000 setup fee. The three-year calculation counts the setup year plus two later annual fees: $3,000 + ($899 × 2) = $4,798 for the first 10 participants.^[3]

For Nexus, the first-year calculation uses the $5,000 setup fee and four quarterly payments: $5,000 + ($500 × 4) = $7,000. The three-year calculation uses the setup fee and 12 quarterly payments: $5,000 + ($500 × 12) = $11,000.^[6]

The numbers above intentionally exclude items that are not fixed in the same public base calculation. My Solo's visible $75 per additional participant charge starts after the first 10 participants. Nexus says state annual report, franchise tax, and business license costs are facilitated and billed at cost, and its fintech partner rows describe no setup fee rather than all future economics. Neither public path fixes outside professional work, correction costs, audits, terminations, business exits, or unusual projects.^[3]^[6]

Administration, employees, filings, bond, valuation, and hard cases

Administration and employees

My Solo states that annual support includes Form 5500 preparation, adding participants as they become eligible, Form 1099-R reporting, participant statement review, contribution and vesting monitoring, contribution computation, nondiscrimination testing, and top-heavy, additions, and coverage work.^[3] Nexus states that ongoing administration includes Form 5500 filing and required testing.^[6] For a company with employees, ask who handles eligibility tracking, notices, deferral elections, payroll feeds, benefit statements, participant complaints, and deadlines.

Fidelity bond and provider monitoring

The DOL explains that people who handle plan funds or plan property generally must be covered by a fidelity bond.^[2] Nexus expressly lists the first-year ERISA fidelity bond and annual renewal.^[6] My Solo's reviewed pricing page does not make the same bond promise in the visible pricing text, so bond placement, amount, renewal, and payer should be written questions for either provider.

Valuation and employer stock

The IRS asks about stock valuation and stock purchases in ROBS compliance checks.^[1] My Solo says valuation may be needed for an existing-business recapitalization, annual Form 5500 disclosure, additional investment, stock buyback, distributions, and RMDs; it lists a $495 valuation report service that is free for new clients.^[5] Nexus includes cap table and valuation recordkeeping and annual fair market valuation.^[6] The contract should still identify method, independence, timing, signer, and whether a transaction-level valuation costs more.

Audits, corrections, privacy, and exit

My Solo lists an Audit Guarantee, but the guarantee terms and exclusions control what that means in practice.^[3] Nexus's checked pricing page does not publish audit representation, correction responsibility, covered professional fees, or survival terms. Its /terms, /privacy, and /contact paths returned HTTP 404 during this review, so do not assume refund, data-use, contact-channel, cancellation, liability, or termination rights from those URLs.^[7]^[8]^[9] Both providers should be asked how they handle failed testing, late filings, prohibited-transaction concerns, business sale, stock redemption, plan termination, insolvency, and record transfer.

Realistic decision scenarios

Lower-cost, owner-heavy coordination

A buyer rolling over eligible assets into a new operating business, expecting few employees, and already using separate CPA, attorney, payroll, bank, and insurance support may start with My Solo because the public base price is lower. That fit weakens if the business will quickly exceed 10 participants or if the owner wants more recurring corporate-maintenance items bundled into one provider relationship.

Broader published bundle, higher base fee

A buyer who values one public package naming registered-agent renewal, filing-service fees, fidelity bond renewal, cap table and valuation recordkeeping, and annual fair market valuation may start with Nexus. That fit weakens if the written contract narrows the bundle, if partner economics add meaningful costs, or if the owner cannot verify terms, privacy, correction, audit, and exit responsibilities.

Employees arriving soon

If non-owner employees may become eligible, provider price is only one input. The plan may need eligibility tracking, notices, nondiscrimination testing, benefit statements, deferral handling, payroll coordination, participant records, and possibly correction work. Ask each provider to map exactly which tasks it performs and which remain with the employer.

Buying or selling a business

A purchase, additional investment, stock buyback, sale, or shutdown can turn valuation, corporate records, plan assets, and fiduciary process into the main issue. A provider comparison should not decide whether the business itself is worth buying; use transaction counsel, a CPA, valuation support, and lender or franchise diligence where applicable.

Contract questions to ask both providers

The contract review should identify who does each job, what each fee covers, and what happens when the plan leaves routine setup and administration. Use the same written questions for both providers so price is compared against actual scope, not assumptions.

Which exact documents are included: C corporation formation, bylaws, resolutions, plan and trust documents, adoption records, EINs, stock subscription, stock certificates, and bank or brokerage setup?
Who signs as plan sponsor, trustee, named fiduciary, administrator, corporate officer, and service provider?
Which fees are fixed, which are pass-throughs, and which events trigger hourly, exceptional-work, correction, audit, valuation, termination, or record-transfer charges?
How are eligible employees identified, enrolled, notified, tested, and shown their account information?
Who obtains and renews the fidelity bond, and what amount and covered persons are used?
Who prepares Form 5500, Form 1099-R when needed, state filings, annual reports, franchise tax filings, and corporate income-tax information?
How is employer stock valued at setup, annually, after material events, at stock redemption, and at exit?
What support survives cancellation, provider replacement, audit, correction, business failure, sale, or plan termination?
What written privacy, cybersecurity, data-retention, and data-transfer terms apply?

Responsible next steps

The next step is not to pick the lower or broader public offer in isolation. Confirm eligibility, model the business risk, then compare signed provider terms with independent tax, legal, and valuation input where the facts are material.

Confirm that the retirement assets are eligible for rollover and available for distribution under the current account or plan rules.
Model the business with and without ROBS capital, including working capital, taxes, fees, remaining retirement diversification, and downside risk.
Ask My Solo and Nexus for the same written scope, fee schedule, pass-through list, service agreement, privacy terms, and exit terms.
Review the ROBS structure with a CPA or attorney who is not compensated by the provider, especially for acquisitions, franchises, employees, or exit planning.
Use price as one input, not the whole decision. A lower fee can be a good fit when the owner can coordinate the missing pieces; a higher bundled fee can be worth paying only when the written terms preserve the bundle that matters to the plan.

Frequently asked questions

These answers summarize the recurring decision points. The citations stay near the answer because pricing, fiduciary duties, unknown public terms, and contract boundaries come from different sources.

Which provider is cheaper on the published base numbers?

My Solo is cheaper on the narrow published base case: $3,000 in year one and $4,798 over three years for the first 10 participants. Nexus publishes $7,000 in year one and $11,000 over three years. Those totals do not prove either provider is cheaper for every owner because employee count, state costs, valuation needs, corrections, audits, exits, and written contract scope can change the final cost. ^[3]^[6]

Does a ROBS provider remove the owner’s fiduciary duties?

No. A provider can prepare documents, coordinate steps, and administer recurring tasks, but the plan sponsor and fiduciaries still need to understand the plan, monitor providers, keep records, follow plan documents, evaluate fees, protect participant information, and handle participant and government reporting duties. ^[2]

What does unknown mean in this comparison?

Unknown means the reviewed public source did not publish enough information to make the claim. It is not a negative score, an accusation, or proof that the service is excluded. It is a request for written terms before relying on the claim. ^[7]^[8]^[9]

What should I ask before signing?

Ask for the signed services agreement, fee schedule, pass-through list, participant-fee schedule, bond details, valuation method and independence, audit and correction support, refund and cancellation rights, privacy and data-retention terms, exit and plan-termination fees, and who is responsible for each filing and participant disclosure. ^[2]^[3]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]

Sources and related reading

Provider pages establish only what each provider publicly states. Government pages establish general ROBS and fiduciary responsibilities. Calculations are original arithmetic from the published inputs above.

1. IRS ROBS compliance project
Accessed July 31, 2026. The IRS describes a ROBS as a plan using rollover assets to buy stock of a new C corporation and highlights Form 5500/5500-EZ, Form 1120, rollover, participant, valuation, employer-stock, prohibited-transaction, and business-failure issues.
2. DOL fiduciary responsibilities
Accessed July 31, 2026. The DOL explains written plan, trust, recordkeeping, participant-document, fiduciary, fee, service-provider monitoring, bonding, prohibited-transaction, employer-stock, reporting, disclosure, correction, and termination responsibilities.
3. My Solo 401k pricing
Accessed July 31, 2026. My Solo publishes a $3,000 setup fee including the first 12 months of support, a $899 annual fee starting 12 months later for the first 10 participants, $75 for each additional participant, and listed setup and annual administration tasks.
4. My Solo 401k process
Accessed July 31, 2026. My Solo describes C corporation formation, adoption of a 401(k) business financing plan, EINs, bank and brokerage accounts, transfer of former-employer retirement funds, wiring funds to the corporation, stock certificates, bylaws, and meeting minutes.
5. My Solo 401k valuation page
Accessed July 31, 2026. My Solo says valuation may be needed for an existing-business recapitalization, annually for Form 5500 disclosure, and for later events such as additional investment, stock buyback, distributions, and RMDs; its valuation report service is listed at $495 and free for new clients.
6. Nexus 401(k) pricing
Accessed July 31, 2026. Nexus publishes one plan at $5,000 setup plus $500 per quarter, setup and ongoing scope including formation, plan and trust establishment, rollover coordination, stock issuance, first-year and renewal fidelity bond, Form 5500, testing, cap table and valuation recordkeeping, annual fair market valuation, registered-agent renewal, and filing-service fees.
7. Nexus terms path
Accessed July 31, 2026. The path returned HTTP 404, so public refund, cancellation, liability, correction, audit, data-retention, and termination terms were not verified from that URL.
8. Nexus privacy path
Accessed July 31, 2026. The path returned HTTP 404, so public privacy, security, data-use, and retention language was not verified from that URL.
9. Nexus contact path
Accessed July 31, 2026. The path returned HTTP 404, so official public contact-channel language was not verified from that URL.

My Solo 401k vs Nexus 401(k): which ROBS provider fits your situation?