Financial Planning for UCLA, USC Keck, Kaiser & Cedars-Sinai Physicians
Same physician income, four completely different retirement plans. We build your plan around the one your employer actually offers — not a generic template. Fee-only, fiduciary, 2026 limits. Accounts under management are custodied at Schwab.
Your retirement plan is not generic — your advice shouldn't be either
UCLA, USC Keck, Kaiser Permanente, and Cedars-Sinai each use a different plan structure, a different custodian, and different rules for what happens when you leave. Get the structure wrong and you either leave money on the table or create a tax problem years from now.
| Employer | Core retirement plans | Custodian | 457(b) type | Mega backdoor Roth (2026) | Managed by Qubera while employed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA Health (UC) | 403(b) + 457(b) + DCP | Fidelity NetBenefits | Governmental — rolls to IRA | Yes, via DCP after-tax to $72,000 | Blueprint only; direct management after separation |
| USC Keck | 403(b) + non-gov 457(b) | TIAA | Non-governmental — cannot roll to IRA | If plan allows after-tax + in-plan conversion | Blueprint only; direct management after separation |
| Kaiser Permanente (SCPMG) | 401(k) / Tax Savings Retirement Plan + Keogh | Keogh at Charles Schwab (PCRA) | N/A | Not a standard listed feature — confirm with plan | Often yes, via PCRA brokerage window |
| Cedars-Sinai | 403(b) + Choice Retirement (DB or DC) | Voya Financial | N/A — no 457(b) | Not a standard listed feature — confirm with plan | Blueprint only; direct management after separation |
Plan design changes over time and details can vary by hire date, division, and division-specific SPD terms. We verify your actual plan documents before recommending anything — this table is a starting orientation, not a substitute for your Summary Plan Description.
UCLA Health Physicians
If you're at UCLA Health, you're a UC employee — not a Kaiser or Cedars employee. That gives you three buckets at Fidelity NetBenefits: UC 403(b), UC 457(b), and UC DCP after-tax, which is UC's version of the Mega Backdoor Roth.
403(b) & 457(b) — $24,500 each
Two separate 2026 limits, not aggregated: $24,500 to the 403(b) and $24,500 to the 457(b), $49,000 pre-tax total. Catch-up $8,000 at 50+, $11,250 at 60–63. Most UCLA attendings are in the 35% federal + 11.3% California bracket, so pre-tax is often better than Roth unless you plan to retire out of state.
DCP after-tax — to $72,000 total
The IRC 415(c) ceiling is $72,000 for 2026. Subtract your 403(b) contribution and UCLA's contribution from that number — what's left can go into DCP as after-tax, then convert to Roth the same day inside Fidelity. This is typically $42,000–$47,000 of unused space per year.
What we watch for
UC's 457(b) is governmental, which means it rolls cleanly to an IRA with no 10% early withdrawal penalty before 59½ — a real advantage if early retirement is on the table. The bigger gap: most UCLA physicians max the 403(b) and stop, leaving the 457(b) and DCP after-tax mostly unused.
USC Keck Physicians
USC is private, not UC, and the plan structure is different: a 403(b) with a 5% non-elective plus up to 5% match, after-tax 403(b) contributions to the $72,000 IRC 415(c) limit, and a non-governmental 457(b) — a distinction that changes how you should think about it entirely.
403(b) — $24,500 + ~10% from USC
2026 employee limit $24,500. USC adds 5% non-elective plus up to 5% match after vesting — that ~10% counts toward your $72,000 total limit. Whatever's left of the $72,000 after your deferral and USC's contribution can go in as after-tax, then convert to Roth if your TIAA plan allows in-plan conversion or in-service withdrawal.
457(b) — $24,500, non-governmental
Separate $24,500 limit, but this is deferred compensation of USC, not a governmental plan. It cannot roll to an IRA or a new employer's plan when you leave, and it remains subject to USC's creditors until paid.
The trap to get right at enrollment
You must elect how your non-governmental 457(b) is distributed — lump sum at separation, or installments over 5, 10, or 15 years. Leave the default in place and a $200k+ balance can land in a single tax year at 35% federal + 11.3% California the January after you leave USC. This election deserves attention on day one, and a review before you separate.
Kaiser Permanente (SCPMG) Physicians
As a Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) physician, you have a 401(k)/Tax Savings Retirement Plan alongside a physician-only Keogh plan held at Charles Schwab. The Keogh offers a PCRA — Personal Choice Retirement Account — a brokerage window inside the plan.
Combined limit — $72,000 for 2026
Your 401(k) deferral and Keogh contribution share the same IRC 415(c) annual additions ceiling as every other DC plan: $72,000 for 2026, with the standard $8,000 / $11,250 catch-ups. Where the Keogh differs from a typical 401(k) is the election itself.
PCRA — the differentiator
Because the Keogh sits at Schwab with a PCRA brokerage window, we're often able to manage that account directly while you're still working at Kaiser — a genuine difference from UCLA, USC, and Cedars, where we hand you a blueprint until you leave.
Why the first-year decision matters
SCPMG physicians choose a Keogh contribution level (a percentage of base pay) early in their tenure, and that election is very difficult to change afterward — some physicians describe it as effectively permanent for their SCPMG career. Assets inside the Keogh have also historically been restricted from moving out of Schwab until a lengthy service threshold is met. This is exactly the kind of one-time, hard-to-reverse decision worth modeling carefully before you sign the enrollment form, not after.
Kaiser/SCPMG plan terms (contribution election structure, portability rules, and 401(k) recordkeeper) have changed over time and can vary by division — we confirm your exact plan document and current election options before recommending anything.
Cedars-Sinai Physicians
Cedars-Sinai is not UC and has no governmental 457(b). Your core plan is the Cedars-Sinai 403(b) at Voya Financial with a 50% match up to 3% of pay, plus Choice Retirement — a program funded entirely by Cedars-Sinai where you choose between a lifetime annuity and a lump sum.
403(b) match — needs 6% to get 3%
2026 employee limit $24,500. Cedars matches 50% of what you contribute, up to 3% of pay — meaning you need to defer at least 6% to capture the full match. It's immediately 100% vested after one year, with an annual true-up if you hit the limit early.
Choice Retirement — DB or DC, your call
100% funded by Cedars-Sinai. Within 30 days of eligibility you choose a Defined Benefit monthly annuity starting as early as 55, or a Defined Contribution lump sum you can take with you. No choice defaults you into DC. One switch is allowed while employed.
Two decisions physicians skip
Contributing 3% instead of 6% forfeits half the match — real money over a career. And the DB-vs-DC Choice Retirement decision is rarely modeled against actual tenure and age assumptions, even though it can be worth a meaningful swing in retirement income depending on how long you stay. A standard after-tax Mega Backdoor bucket is not a listed feature of the Cedars 403(b) — we check your Voya account for after-tax and in-plan conversion flags rather than assuming it's there.
Three gaps we see regardless of where you work
Once the employer-specific plan is set up correctly, the same three mistakes show up almost everywhere — UCLA, USC, Kaiser, and Cedars alike.
1. Non-deductible IRA without a clean conversion
In 2026 the IRA limit is $7,500 ($8,600 at 50+). If you have pre-tax IRA money and make a non-deductible contribution without clearing that balance first, your Form 8606 basis has to be tracked correctly every year for 20–30 years — and that chain often breaks. A taxable brokerage account is frequently the cleaner choice unless the IRA can be cleared first, typically via reverse rollover into your employer plan.
2. Bonds sitting in the taxable account
Example: $3M total at 80/20, with $1.6M taxable holding $480k of bonds at 4.5%. That's $21,600 of interest taxed near 46%, or roughly $10,000 a year in avoidable tax. Moving bonds into tax-deferred accounts and holding stocks in taxable — same overall allocation, same risk — can be worth roughly 0.32% per year in after-tax return, or $380,000–$441,000 over 20 years on a portfolio that size.
3. The employer-specific bucket goes unused
UC's DCP, USC's after-tax 403(b), Kaiser's Keogh election, Cedars' Choice Retirement — each one is genuinely different, and each one is easy to miss without someone checking your actual plan document. We check the specific flags that matter for your employer before recommending anything.
What working with Qubera costs
No commissions, no product sales, no hidden fees — regardless of which hospital system you work for. Full detail on our services page.
Comprehensive Financial Plan
One-time fee. Includes your employer plan review, Backdoor Roth setup, asset location, and a written plan you and your CPA can use. Pricing scales with complexity — dual-physician households and business-owner situations are typically toward the top of the range.
Includes 1–3 initial meetings, review meetings, and email/phone support for up to 12 months.
Ongoing Wealth Management
Annual fee as a percentage of assets managed, billed monthly: 1.25% up to $500K, 1.00% from $500K–$1M, 0.75% from $1M–$5M, 0.50% above $5M. Includes continuous portfolio management, rebalancing, and asset location across taxable, employer plans, and Backdoor Roth IRAs.
Accounts under management are custodied at Charles Schwab.
2026 questions from LA physicians
Does UCLA Health allow a Mega Backdoor Roth in 2026?
Yes. UC physicians can contribute after-tax dollars to the UC DCP up to the total IRS 415(c) limit of $72,000, minus 403(b) and employer contributions, then convert to Roth in-plan at Fidelity — typically $42,000–$47,000 of extra space per year.
What's different about USC Keck's 457(b) vs. UCLA's?
UCLA's UC 457(b) is governmental and rolls to an IRA with no early withdrawal penalty. USC's 457(b) is non-governmental deferred compensation — it cannot roll to an IRA, stays subject to USC's creditors, and requires a distribution election at enrollment.
Can Qubera manage my Kaiser 401(k) or Keogh while I'm employed?
Often, yes. The SCPMG Keogh sits at Charles Schwab with a PCRA brokerage window, which can let us manage those assets directly while you're still at Kaiser — unlike UCLA, USC, or Cedars, where we work from a blueprint until you separate.
How does the Cedars-Sinai 403(b) match work?
Cedars matches 50% of your contribution up to 3% of pay, so you need to defer at least 6% to get the full match. It vests 100% after one year with an annual true-up. Choice Retirement is separate and 100% funded by Cedars-Sinai.
What are the 2026 retirement contribution limits?
403(b)/401(k)/457(b) elective deferral: $24,500. Catch-up at 50+: $8,000. Super catch-up at 60–63: $11,250. Combined IRC 415(c) limit: $72,000. IRA: $7,500 ($8,600 at 50+ with the $1,100 catch-up).
How much does Qubera charge?
A Comprehensive Financial Plan is a one-time $1,600–$7,500 fee. Ongoing Wealth Management is billed monthly as a percentage of assets: 1.25% down to 0.50% depending on balance. Fee-only — no commissions, ever.
Not sure which bucket applies to you?
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