ROBS Pro vs Nexus 401(k): costs, mechanics, and fit

A ROBS is not a personal loan from a 401(k). In the model described by the IRS, retirement assets move into a qualified retirement plan, and that plan uses rollover assets to buy stock of a new C corporation.^[1] The person starting the company does not receive the retirement money personally. The plan receives employer stock, and the corporation receives cash that can be used by the operating business.

The actors should stay separate in the documents: the individual business owner, the C corporation, the qualified retirement plan, the plan trust or custodial account, any corporate bank account, and any outside professionals. The usual money movement is: eligible retirement account → direct rollover to the new plan → plan trust or custodial account → stock purchase from the C corporation → corporate bank account. The key documents generally include formation documents, bylaws and resolutions, plan and trust documents, rollover forms, trust or custodial account records, stock-purchase records, valuation support, fidelity bond evidence, and later Form 5500 filings.

Timing depends on corporate filing, retirement-account transfer speed, account opening, valuation and stock records, and any lender, franchisor, seller, CPA, attorney, or payroll timeline. A provider's public setup language is useful, but the signed engagement and closing checklist decide who does each step. If you are comparing providers because an exit is near, also estimate ROBS plan-termination costs.

The DOL's fee guidance matters here because a retirement-plan sponsor should compare the services included in each price, not only the headline amount. The DOL describes plan administration, investment, and individual service fees, and notes that services can be bundled or unbundled.^[2] That is why this comparison keeps ROBSPRO's lower floor separate from Nexus's broader public bundle.

These are bounded scenarios, not recommendations. A lower fixed cost can be outweighed by missing support, and a broader bundle can be outweighed by unknown pass-throughs or contract limits.

The largest risks do not disappear when the setup is done correctly. The plan exchanges diversified retirement assets for private employer stock. If the business loses value, the retirement account can lose value with it. The C corporation also has corporate records, tax filings, payroll decisions, plan administration, employee eligibility, valuation, fidelity bond, Form 5500, correction, and exit issues that continue after funding.

• Who is the named plan sponsor, trustee, plan administrator, and corporate officer for each document?
• Which documents are delivered before money moves: articles, bylaws, resolutions, plan and trust documents, adoption agreement, rollover paperwork, stock subscription, stock certificate, valuation memo, fidelity bond, and account records?
• Who opens or coordinates the corporate bank account, plan trust or custodial account, and any brokerage or recordkeeping account?
• What happens if employees become eligible after launch, and how are notices, testing, census data, statements, and participant fees handled?
• What valuation work is included at formation, annually, after a material event, and at stock redemption or exit?
• What is included for IRS or DOL inquiries, audits, late filings, prohibited-transaction concerns, failed testing, corrections, and attorney or CPA work?
• What are the refund, cancellation, data export, privacy, cybersecurity, termination, and post-cancellation support terms?

Nexus's /terms, /privacy, and /contact paths returned HTTP 404 in this source pass, so those items should be requested directly before relying on any refund, cancellation, liability, privacy, audit, correction, or termination assumption.^[7][8][9]

Ask both providers for the same written fact pattern: rollover amount, account type, state of formation, expected employees in the first 24 months, whether the business is a startup or acquisition, expected closing date, outside advisers, payroll provider, valuation needs, and planned exit path. Then request a written schedule showing setup tasks, annual tasks, pass-through charges, who signs each document, what is excluded, and what happens if the plan is audited, corrected, terminated, or transferred.

Sources were checked on July 27, 2026. Provider pages establish what each provider publicly states; IRS and DOL pages provide government context, not provider approval.