Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Life, Inc. Retirement Services?
Life, Inc. is an independent, full service retirement plan firm. We create and manage 401(k)s and other types of retirement plans for small and medium sized business throughout the country.
Our headquarters are out of Columbus, Ohio, and offer services throughout the United States both digitally and in person.
What services do you offer?
We have a bundled approach to our services.
We handle the administration, compliance and fiduciary investment services for our clients. This means you’ll have a dedicated representative handling your entire account from start to finish and everywhere in between.
This means no call centers or third parties that create a bottleneck with communication.
Here are the roles we take in a retirement plan. Check out our services page for more information.
What sets Life, Inc. apart from the competition?
Independence is key. Since we are an independent firm, we partner with dozens of record keepers and investment platforms.
Why this is important is that we’re able help you find the best solution for your company. Afterall, not all business have the same goals or are in the same situation. Retirement plans shouldn’t be a “one-size fits all” approach.
Second, this is all we do. Our services are exclusive to 401(k)s and other types of retirement plans. This is our 100% focus.
And finally, our expertise. Our background and knowledge of the industry is second to none. Our staff has decades of experience in guiding clients through the 401(k) process and navigating through the rules and regulations that allow us to create custom plans for your business.
What kind of retirement plan should I choose?
The answer to this question lies in what your goals are as the employer.
Generally, plans are started for the purpose of recruiting and retaining quality employees, or to assist the employer in tax savings and contributing substantially towards retirement. And sometimes, it’s both.
Either way, there are great solutions to every goal. You can either consult one of our 401(k) experts, or check out the Retirement Plan Evaluator, which is a free tool that helps point you in the right direction.
Do you offer payroll integration?
Absolutely.
Integration is quite common these days and is easy to connect your payroll to your retirement benefits. The core of integration lies with your payroll partner and who they integrate with.
We can help guide you through the integration process to allow for a more streamlined experience.
How much can I contribute as a business owner?
As a business owner, you have several options to choose from to save towards retirement and save money on taxes.
All or our clients have access to expert advice that gives you the knowledge on how to maximize your contributions and the guidelines around those contrubutions.
Many of our clients have the capabilites of saving $100k or more towards their retirement each year.
Do I need to offer a match to my employees?
That all depends on what your goals are. If you’re trying to maximize your contributions, most likely, yes.
If you’re looking to simply offer a benefit to your employees in order to recruite and retain employees, then you might not have to. We have multiple solutions that allow you to create the plan that makes sense for your company. You’re not held to a “one-size fits all” plan type.
The Retirement Plan Evaluator only takes about 30 seconds and can point you towards which plans work best for your goals. And as always, feel free to reach out to one of our experts.
How much effort do I need to put into a plan?
Once the plan is set up, a lot of the time you can put it on “auto-pilot” and let us handle the bulk of it. Integration is a big part of this.
Annually, we ask that you fill out our annual questionnaire to notify us of any changes that happened throught the year. If any changes are needed to the plan, we’ll let you know.
We handle the enrollment meetings, compliance, investment management and all the nuances that go with a plan.
We’ll even communicate with your accountant if you like. This helps us greatly with your planning and overall strategy of the plan you put in place.
What if I own multiple businesses?
Many of our clients own several businesses.
Sometimes, regulations require you to offer a plan to all your companies. Consult with one of our experts to see if your businesses fall into this category.
Can I start a plan if I don't have employees?
Yes, you can. And, there are several options.
If you’re a business owner that doesn’t have any w-2 employees (not including a spouse), this opens you up to many creative ways to save towards retirement.
Ultimately, it comes down to how much you want, or able to save towards retirement.
Here is a guide to show you the potential savings opportunities.
What kind of tax deductions can I expect?
The SECURE 2.0 Act that passed in late 2022 increased tax credits substantially. Utilize our Tax Credit Calculator to see what you can expect for tax credits starting in 2023.
When starting a plan, you can earn up to $16,500 in tax-credits in the first three years. This gave business owners an incentive to offer a retirement plan to their employees.
Along side this, your matching contributions offers ongoing tax-deductions on an annual basis.
What deadlines do I need to worry about when starting a plan?
There are several deadlines to be aware of:
- First, if you’re looking to set up a Safe Harbor 401(k) plan or a Simple IRA, the deadline to implement for the current year is October 1st. (It generally takes a few weeks to set up a plan. You would need to start the process by mid-September.)
- Next, if you plan on making a change from a Simple IRA to a 401(k), you must do so by November 1st. You cannot have more than one retirement plan in place in a single year.
- Another deadline to be aware of was extended by The Secure Act. You’re now able to implement and contribute towards a 401(k) plan by the filing date (including extension) for the previous year. This is also true of a SEP IRA.
What is the process to set up a plan?
The process starts with either connecting with one of our experts to determine which plan is best for your company, or using The Retirement Plan Evaluator on your own.
Once determined, you’ll fill out our online intake form, which starts the process on our end.
You’ll then be prompted to set up a time with your dedicated adminstrator to complete the rest of the process.
Reach Us
Headquarters
100 E. Campus View Blvd.
Suite #250
Columbus, OH 43235
Call Us
Email Us
Dayton Office
4031 Colonel Glenn Highway
1st Floor
Beavercreek, OH, 45431
937-234-4655
Ft. Myers Office
8891 Brighton Lane
Suite 105
Bonita Springs, FL 34135
239-676-3301
Maryland Office
One Research Court
Suite 450
Rockville, MD 20850
301-200-3117
Schedule Your Consultation and Start Saving Today!
Fill out the form below and a member of our team will contact you shortly.