401k Decision Making

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Deciding what to do with retirement funds can be a tricky business. Whether you are changing jobs or it is time to make a decision on what to do with a maturing IRA, understanding your options is the best way to ensure you are making the right decision.

While the concept of a rollover may seem simple, there are several variables that can add complexity to your decision-making process. If you are changing jobs, should you (or can you) roll your 401k from the old job into the new job plan? If you are retiring, should you roll any, or all, of your existing 401k plan(s) into IRAs? When you take a new job, should you (or can you) roll your existing IRAs into your new employer's 401k plan?

There are four primary questions to consider prior to …show more content…

Do you want to pay a tax now and withdraw money tax-free later?
Do you want to have control of your investment decisions?
If you want to use retirement savings now, you will have to pay income tax and likely a penalty for early withdrawal. So, if you are changing jobs and decide you would rather cash out your 401k from your old employer rather than rolling it over to the new employee plan, you can do that. Just recognize that some penalties will apply to this decision. However, you are not required to rollover any existing 401k accounts to a new employer-managed 401k or into an IRA. In fact, you can simply choose to leave your money in the existing 401k.

In answer to the second question, you should understand that one of the primary benefits of a 401k is tax-deferred growth. Your investment will grow without a tax being applied; in other words, the money is not taxed until you begin making regular withdrawals. This is a significant benefit because the tax rates on investment income are typically higher than the tax rates on regular income. Money withdrawn in regular intervals from a 401k after retirement will be taxed as regular income and not as investment

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