Stephen Arnold, CRPS
Retirement Plan Design & Actuarial Administration

Stephen Arnold, CRPS Founder of Retirement Actuarial Services and Author of Designer DB Plus®

Helping CPAs, Financial Advisors, and High-Income Small Business Owners Reduce Taxes and Save More for Retirement

I help CPAs, financial advisors, and high-income small business owners reduce taxes and save more for retirement. My work focuses on advanced retirement plan design, including cash balance plans, defined benefit plans, and layered strategies that can go far beyond what a basic 401(k), SEP, or SIMPLE IRA typically allows.

If you are a CPA looking for a specialist partner, an advisor who wants deeper plan design support, or a business owner trying to turn high taxable income into long-term wealth, you are in the right place. You can request a tax-savings snapshot or ask about a CE webinar to see how this could work for your firm or your clients.

Request CE Webinar Get Tax-Savings Snapshot
About

About Stephen Arnold

Stephen Arnold is the Founder and CEO of Retirement Actuarial Services, where he helps CPAs, financial advisors, and small business owners with advanced retirement plan design and actuarial administration.

With more than 20 years in financial services and retirement planning, he brings deep experience in tax strategy, plan design, and long-term retirement outcomes.

Before launching the firm, he worked as an independent advisor and owned an independent wholesale insurance brokerage, where he trained and supported hundreds of insurance agents.

He founded Retirement Actuarial Services after seeing that many profitable business owners were still using basic plans that missed opportunities for larger deductions, faster savings, healthcare planning, and stronger protection.

Credentials and Approach

I hold the Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist, or CRPS, designation from the College for Financial Planning, as well as a Series 65 license. This work is technical, regulated, and closely tied to long-range financial decision-making, so plan design must be practical, compliant, and clearly communicated.

I focus on small business owners and the CPAs who advise them. Business owners often face the same pressures: taxes are high, retirement savings need to move faster, and standard plan options no longer feel large enough. CPAs are usually the first professionals to see that pressure, which is why I work with them as a team-based consultant without disrupting the CPA-client relationship.

I am also a U.S. Marine, and that background shaped how I work. I value discipline, clear communication, and doing what you say you will do. My charitable interests include support for animals and veterans' causes, including ASPCA and Wounded Warriors.

Specialization

What I Do

Advanced Plan Design

My focus is not generic retirement planning. It is advanced plan design for people and firms that need more flexibility and a stronger tax strategy. That means creating plans that can support larger deductible contributions in strong income years while remaining grounded in sound administration and compliance.

A major part of my work is helping business owners use cash balance and defined benefit plans in a way that fits their age, income, entity structure, staffing, and retirement timeline. These plans can create contribution opportunities well above traditional retirement plans, making them especially valuable for owners who need meaningful deductions now and larger balances later.

Who Benefits Most

This is often relevant for doctors, dentists, real estate professionals, construction owners, software founders, and other high-income professionals whose earnings have outgrown basic retirement plan options. When designed well, the plan becomes more than a retirement account; it becomes a stronger tax and wealth-building strategy.

Layered Plan Design

I also specialize in layered plan design, where a cash balance plan is paired with a profit-sharing or 401(k) plan and, in some cases, a 401(h) component for tax-free medical benefits in retirement. That combination is one reason the Designer DB Plus® strategy stands out.

For the right client, stacking plans can mean larger deductible contributions, faster asset growth, and a more complete retirement structure. It can also help address healthcare and long-term care costs in retirement in a tax-efficient way.

CPA & Advisor Collaboration

Support and Administration

CPAs and advisors do not need another vendor who adds noise. They need a specialist who can evaluate plan design, census data, tax pressure, contribution goals, and compliance realities in one place.

I regularly educate CPAs on advanced tax reduction and retirement planning strategies, and I work with them to show clients what may be possible when the plan is designed correctly. My role is to support the relationship with technical guidance, not replace it.

A good plan on paper is not enough. It also has to be administered correctly, tested properly, and maintained year after year. Retirement Actuarial Services was built as a full-service TPA firm, which means we support both strategy and administration.

The Strategy

Designer DB Plus®

Designer DB Plus® is the strategy most closely associated with my work. It was created to give small business owners a more flexible funding strategy than they can usually get from a standard 401(k), SEP, Solo 401(k), SIMPLE IRA, or IRA alone.

At a high level, Designer DB Plus® integrates an IRS-approved cash balance defined benefit plan with profit-sharing or 401(k) components and 401(h) options. The strategy is designed for business owners who want larger tax deductions, substantial annual contributions, creditor protection, a lifelong pension framework, and tax-free health and long-term care benefits in retirement.

This is not a fit for every business, and it should not be treated like a plug-and-play product. It is a design strategy that, when appropriate, can help owners make significantly larger deductible contributions and build retirement assets on an accelerated timeline.

Designer DB Plus® is especially relevant for profitable small businesses and professional practices that want more than basic retirement plan limits allow. It also appeals to owners who want more year-to-year flexibility based on the financial realities of the business.

Education & Process

Education and Process

📚

Published Author

I am also the author of Designer DB Plus® Game-Changing Tax Reduction & Retirement Strategy: For Today's Small Business Owners. The book explains the core ideas behind the strategy in plain language, helping owners and their advisors understand how cash balance plans, profit-sharing or 401(k) plans, and 401(h) features can work together.

🎓

Ongoing Education

A large part of my work is educational. I serve as a CPA team-based consultant and provide ongoing education to CPAs on advanced tax-reduction and retirement-planning strategies. Each month, I invite CPAs and tax advisors to a complimentary NASBA-approved 1-hour CE course webinar focused on advanced tax reduction and accelerated retirement planning using Designer DB Plus®.

How It Works

The process should feel clear and straightforward. It starts with a snapshot: we review the business, income, goals, employee mix, and current retirement structure. From there, we evaluate what type of plan design may fit. If the case makes sense, the next step is plan design and modeling, followed by implementation and ongoing administration through the Retirement Actuarial Services team.

Let's Discuss How Advanced Plan Design Can Help

Whether you're a CPA, financial advisor, or business owner, let's discuss how advanced plan design can help reduce taxes and accelerate retirement savings.

Request CE Webinar Get Tax-Savings Snapshot

All retirement plans are subject to requirements established by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which sets minimum standards for participation, vesting, benefit accrual, and funding. Working with pass-through entities, we also help business owners take advantage of the Section 199A Qualified Business Income deduction, which allows eligible taxpayers to deduct up to 20% of their qualified business income, making strategic retirement plan contributions even more valuable in reducing overall tax liability.