So You Wanna Know About the 401k Retirement Plan?
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What is a 401k plan? Basically, a 401k retirement plan is an agreement between employer and employee where a portion of your income is deducted (before taxes) and set aside into a separate account or invested. You will receive this money at age 59 1/2 or after you retire, by which time it has hopefully vested interest and has had an employer contribution. This plan has gained widespread popularity, in part, because of its flexibility for employees and affordability for employers.
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What makes the 401k retirement plan different from other pensions is its flexibility and the amount of control you have over it. Some choices include: What percentage or flat monthly rate do you want to contribute? Also, where do you want to invest? Your employer will provide you with a list and you can choose between stocks, mutual funds, bonds, money market investments, company stock or any combination of the aforementioned. You may also select a financial adviser to make the choice for you. As with anything in life, there are risks. If your company goes bankrupt, you may lose a huge portion of your retirement savings, especially if you've invested heavily in company stocks. You may decide to take a more active role in where your money gets invested because some annuities may be losers, while others are winners. Generally, it's recommended to diversify where your money goes so you don't "put all your eggs into one basket."
Ask your employer which type of 401k retirement plan you're categorized into. With a defined benefit plan, the employer pledges to pay a defined amount to eligible employees at retirement and the money you receive will be based upon how long you've worked there and your salary history. Typically, your employer will have control over the pay-out. As a result, you, as an employee, can easily calculate how much money you'll receive in a lump sum or monthly stipend when you retire based on your agreement. With a defined contribution plan, the employer's contributions are definite but what you'll receive when you retire isn't explicitly stated. While the investment risk with the latter plan is slightly higher, your earning potential is also greater.
When you leave a company, generally your 401k retirement plan remains active for the rest of your life. If you feel uncomfortable leaving your savings in the care of your ex-employer, or if your company charges a fee for leaving your account with them, you may rollover 401 k benefits into an Individual Retirement Account. Look into the rollover 401 k if you're changing employers too. You're allowed to draw on your 401k retirement plan after age 59 1/2 and you will then pay taxes on what you take out. Most plans have a minimum distribution requirement you must abide by, meaning that once you reach age 70 1/2, you'll have to start to withdraw some of your money, unless of course, you're still working. The only plan that is exempt from the minimum distribution rules is the Roth IRA. You may decide to take a crash course in investing and take a more active role to ensure maximum returns.
To learn more about the 401k retirement plan, you can purchase retirement planning software like Quickbooks, or investigate retirement planning services at places like Fidelity Financial. The best thing you can do is to invest wisely, diversifying where your money goes or devising a supplemental retirement plan in case your 401k or pension doesn't turn out the way you had hoped.
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Today's Tip On Retirement Planning
One in five small businesses now offer an employee retirement plan. While building business and contemplating your own retirement, you may wonder: Should your business be one of them? Many owners fear an employee retirement plan will lead to large losses amid a shifting economic landscape. However, when retirement planning, you may want to consider a Simplified Employer Pension IRA. The SEP-IRA offers much higher contribution limits (up to 15% of an employee's annual income), gives employers a choice on how much money will be contributed to the general employee distribution annually (depending on how well the company does), and an easy administration process. A SEP-IRA is very similar to a 401k plan, but has lower contribution limits, easier administration and is generally a less expensive option for smaller businesses. Three potential drawbacks to consider are that: employees can't contribute directly (you're making the contribution in the employee's name), qualifying employees include anyone 21 and older with an annual income of $400 or more (part-timers included), and there is no waiting period for withdrawal (whereas vesting may encourage employee retention).
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