Rolling your 401k: Contributory IRA vs. Rollover IRA
In an ideal world you would start your working career with a great company in your early 20s, steadily climb the corporate ladder, retire at age 65, and draw a sufficient income from your accumulated 401k account to live happily ever after.Unfortunately, that's not how the real world works. If you are like most people, you will change careers, or at least companies, several times. Each time, you'll be faced with the question of what to do with your accumulated 401k benefits.You will likely have a few choices: keep your 401k with your old employer (sometimes possible), roll the proceeds into your new employer's 401k plan, or put them directly into a self-directed IRA at a brokerage firm of your choice.Since leaving your 401k with your ex-employer has no benefits whatsoever and most employers will prefer you transfer out anyway, that leaves only the last two as viable options:1. Roll your 401k proceeds into the new employer's 401k plan of (if allowed)This is the most painless solution and the one that does not require much decision making. While this is certainly acceptable, there is a bigger picture.The ultimate goal of having a 401k plan is to provide you with a comfortable retirement.
To accomplish this you really need a wide variety of investment choices and the opportunity to move among them in response to market variations. Most 401ks are limited to maybe 15 mutual fund choices which rarely change, even if market behavior dictates they should. Additionally, the canned advice provided through plan sponsors is generally not terribly useful.The only benefit to this type of rollover is that if your plan has a loan provision, you'll be able to borrow funds easily.2. Roll your 401k proceeds into a self directed IRAThis is the preferable solution for most people, and with it you again have two choices: roll your 401k into a "Contributory" or a "Rollover" IRA. Contributory IRA: Once you roll your proceeds into this type of IRA, you may still contribute annually if you qualify (check with your accountant).
However, the 401k portion can no longer be rolled back into another 401k with a new employer, should you ever want to do that. So you eliminate the possibility of using the loan provision with those funds. While it is possible to borrow against an IRA, it's more limited than borrowing against an employer 401k. Check with your tax preparer for details.Rollover IRA: This type of IRA allows you the most flexibility. You may roll the proceeds back into a 401k plan if you want to utilize a loan provision.
However, for tax reasons you should not make annual contributions to this IRA. If making annual contributions becomes important to you, simply open another contributory IRA.Since Rollover IRAs are usually set up at a brokerage firm, you'll have access to their entire universe of mutual funds. With this type of IRA, you can also employ an independent investment advisor to manage the account for you. (Yes there is a cost for that, but an effective advisor will more than make up for that in greater returns than you would get without him or her.)Most of my clients have found that the investment results we've obtained with their personal IRAs were far superior to those yielded by their employer 401k plans or their personal investing efforts. This has been mainly due to a combination of better choices and a methodical approach to investing which has kept my clients in the market during good times and out of it altogether during severe declines.Bottom line: Rollover IRAs offer opportunities to maximize benefits and provide flexibility not usually available with employer 401k plans..
Don?t Let Uncle Sam Take 80% of Your IRA
(ContentDesk) May 31, 2004 -- Could you lose over 80% of your IRA to taxes when you die? Yes, unless you act before it's too late. Read on to find out if this affects you and how you can minimize the effect of taxes on your IRA.You've worked hard all your life and enjoyed a successful career. Along the way, you've sacrificed to put money into retirement programs, building a nest egg to provide for you and your family the rest of your life. If you live just off the interest, you can leave a nice inheritance for your children.(Mr. Voudrie responds to questions from readers on an almost daily basis.
If you would like clear, straightforward, unbiased answers to your financial questions, contact e-mail protected from spam bots)Unfortunately, Uncle Sam could take over 80% of it in taxes, leaving your children with much less than you expected. If you owe estate taxes at your death and haven't planned properly, your children may be forced to tap into your retirement accounts. This could...
Don?t Let Uncle Sam Take 80% of Your IRA
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Create Tax Savings And Transfer Wealth To Your Child With A Roth IRA
Parents must give serious thought to protecting their family through estate tax planning. While life insurance and trusts should be a part of every plan, Roth IRAs can be a simple tool for passing money to your child on a tax-free basis. Roth IRA First, we need a quick summary of the Roth IRA. A Roth IRA is an after-tax retirement vehicle that produces huge tax savings because all tax distributions are tax-free. That statement can a bit confusing, so lets break it down.
The downside of a Roth IRA is the fact that contributions are not tax deductible as with traditional IRAs or 401(k)s. The upside of a Roth IRA, however, is that all distributions are tax-free once the person reaches the age of 59?. So how can you use a Roth IRA to pass money to your child? Opening A Roth IRA For Your Child One of the biggest keys to retirement planning is "time". The more years you spend saving money for retirement, the more you should have when that blessed day arrives. Imagine if you had started...
Create Tax Savings And Transfer Wealth To Your Child With A Roth IRA
Ira > Create Tax Savings And Transfer Wealth To Your Child With A Roth IRA
Create Tax Savings And Transfer Wealth To Your Child With A Roth IRA
Parents must give serious thought to protecting their family through estate tax planning. While life insurance and trusts should be a part of every plan, Roth IRAs can be a simple tool for passing money to your child on a tax-free basis. Roth IRA First, we need a quick summary of the Roth IRA. A Roth IRA is an after-tax retirement vehicle that produces huge tax savings because all tax distributions are tax-free. That statement can a bit confusing, so lets break it down.
The downside of a Roth IRA is the fact that contributions are not tax deductible as with traditional IRAs or 401(k)s. The upside of a Roth IRA, however, is that all distributions are tax-free once the person reaches the age of 59?. So how can you use a Roth IRA to pass money to your child? Opening A Roth IRA For Your Child One of the biggest keys to retirement planning is "time". The more years you spend saving money for retirement, the more you should have when that blessed day arrives. Imagine if you had started...
Create Tax Savings And Transfer Wealth To Your Child With A Roth IRA
Ira > Create Tax Savings And Transfer Wealth To Your Child With A Roth IRA