Christopher Fundora

Many financial advisors recommend Roth individual retirement accounts to build nest eggs. Christopher Fundora utilizes an “optimized Roth.”

He pursues a two-track strategy to help the firm’s small business clients accumulate retirement savings. It involves maximizing tax-deferred savings in a vehicle such as a solo 401(k) to get them into an optimal tax bracket. Then they put after-tax money into their 401(k) accounts and immediately transfer those funds to a Roth in what is known as a mega-backdoor Roth conversion. The process optimizes the Roth.

“We’re able to bring pretax savings and Roth savings together in one strategy,” Fundora said. “It’s been a great way to help these individuals save for retirement in a tax-efficient way.”

Fundora, 32, created Traphagen’s corporate retirement planning team. In the three years since its inception, it has amassed $100 million in assets and helped clients save more than $30 million in taxes.

When his father became seriously ill and passed away near the end of Fundora’s senior year at Boston University, it gave him an introduction to the importance of retirement and tax planning. He went home to be with his mother, who was thrust into managing the family’s finances.

“Everyone has to navigate taxes,” Fundora said. “They need someone to trust to work through that.”

—Mark Schoeff Jr.