How Much Should Go Into 401k

Invest In Real Assets To Boost Wealth

What we do know is that housing prices have outpaced wage inflation by more than 3.5X since 2000. Therefore, not only should you invest heavily in your 401k, you should also invest in real estate.

In a rising interest rate environment, investing in real estate can be beneficial. Not only will rent prices increase, but so will property prices. Further, the real cost of debt gets whittled down.

At least be neutral real estate by owning your own primary residence. To get long real estate, I would buy rental properties and invest passively in real estate crowdfunding.

My favorite two real estate crowdfunding platforms are:

Fundrise: A way for accredited and non-accredited investors to diversify into real estate through private eREITs. Fundrise has been around since 2012 and has consistently generated steady returns, no matter what the stock market is doing. For most people, investing in a diversified real estate portfolio is the best bet.

CrowdStreet: A way for accredited investors to invest in individual real estate opportunities mostly in 18-hour cities. 18-hour cities are secondary cities with lower valuations, higher rental yields, and potentially higher growth due to job growth and demographic trends. If you have a lot of capital, then you can build your own select real estate portfolio with CrowdStreet.

Without Hurting Your Budget

A 401 is an effective way to save for retirement because the money is deducted from your salary before taxes are taken out. You dont pay taxes on the money until you retire, when your income typically puts you in a lower tax bracket. You dont want to put so much into the account that you cant meet your monthly obligations, but you should put in as much as you can afford. In 2013 and 2014, the maximum allowed by the IRS was $17,500. The maximum allowable contribution equates to about $337 per week.

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Average 401k Balance At Age 22

The average 401k balance at ages 22-24 is actually pretty impressive, and indicates that young people using the Personal Capital Dashboard are taking their retirement savings seriously. When youre in your early 20s, if youve paid down any high-interest debt, endeavor to save as much as you can into your 401k. The earlier you start, the better. As you can see from the potential savings chart, compounding interest is no joke.

When Determining Your Contribution Percentage Consider Automatic Boosts

In 2019, the average 401 contribution was 7 percent of pay, according to Vanguard 401 data. Meanwhile, only 21 percent of 401 participants saved more than 10 percent of their salary for retirement.

If you cant afford to contribute that much initially, many employers will allow you to increase your contribution percentage automatically each year , which may be a more comfortable and gradual way to increase your contribution amount.

A 401 can be one of your best tools for creating a secure retirement. But you may want to also consider some retirement investing alternatives.

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Other Benefits Of A 401

Even for employers who do not offer any matching program, every employer with a 401 plan is responsible for administering the plan. That may seem like its no big deal, but it actually saves quite a bit of trouble for the employees. As an employee in a 401 plan, you dont have to worry about the complicated rules and regulations that need to be followed, or about making arrangements with the funds in which you invest your moneyyour employer takes care of all of that for you. Thats quite a bit of saved paperwork.

At the same time, employees who participate in a 401 maintain control over their money. While employers provide a list of possible investment choices, most commonly different sorts of mutual funds, employees have quite a bit of freedom to decide their own strategy. Whether you are willing to take on a little more risk with your investments, or if you would rather play it safe, theres probably an option for you.

Who Is Eligible For A Roth 401

If your employer offers it, youre eligible. Unlike a Roth IRA, a Roth 401 has no income limits. Thats a fantastic feature of the Roth option. No matter how much money you earn, you can contribute to a Roth 401.

If you dont have access to a Roth option at work, you can still take advantage of the Roth benefits by working with your investing pro to open a Roth IRA. Just keep in mind that income limits do apply when you contribute to a Roth IRA.

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How Much Is In Your 401 And Other Accounts

A 401 plan may be only one part of your bigger retirement strategy. You may also have money in an IRA, pension plan, or other types of accounts. Take a look at all these accounts and their current balances. Then, you can figure out what role your 401 will play in sustaining your retirement income.

For instance, let’s say you already have assets in an IRA. In that case, you may be able to contribute less to your 401. If the 401 makes up the bulk of your retirement assets, higher plan contributions make sense. That’s because you will be more dependent on the account for income.

Retirement income calculators can help you estimate the amount you need to save. Once you have an estimate, look at how much is in your 401 and other retirement accounts. Then, compare that to the balance you think you’ll need to retire. Finally, decide how much you want to contribute to a 401 plan on an annual basis to meet your goal.

Calculate Your Retirement Age

Before you decide how much you should put in a 401 in your 20s and start saving, consider when you might want to retire.

Though this is a difficult determination to make in your 20s, you probably have an idea of what you value most and what kind of lifestyle you want to enjoy in your later years. To get started, decide on an ideal retirement age, knowing you can adjust your plan along the way, then work backward from there to figure out how much you need to save each month to retire by that time. Compound interest can play a big role in helping you reach those amounts.

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Could You Increase Your 401 Contribution

How often you can adjust your 401 or 403 contribution is generally determined by your employer and your retirement planit may be once a year or as often as youd like.

If youre able, reducing non-essentials or allocating new income could allow you to bump up the amount youre saving.

A 1% increase only makes a small difference in your paycheckbut may make a big difference down the road. Consider the example below for a $35,000 annual income:1

1 This example is for illustrative purposes only. It assumes $35,000 in annual income, 3.5% annual wage growth, 30 years to retirement, 7% annual rate of return and a 25% tax bracket. Estimated monthly retirement income calculations assume a 4.5% annual withdrawal in retirement. The assumed rate of return is hypothetical and does not guarantee any future returns nor represent the return of any particular investment option. Reduced take-home pay is accurate for the initial year and would change based on participants annual pay. Estimated savings amounts shown do not reflect the impact of taxes on pre-tax distributions. Individual taxpayer circumstances may vary.

2 Contributions are limited to the lesser of the annual plan or the IRS limit as indexed annually.

3 Some plans may not allow catch-up contributions to the plan.

This document is intended to be educational in nature and is not intended to be taken as a recommendation.

The Average 401k Balance By Age

401k plans are one of the most common investment vehicles that Americans use to save for retirement.

To help you maximize your retirement dollars, the 401k is an employer-sponsored plan that allows you to save for retirement in a tax-sheltered way. You can contribute up to $19,500 in 2021 and $20,500 in 2022.

If your employer offers a 401k and you are not utilizing it, you may be leaving money on the table especially if your employer matches your contributions.

While the 401k is one of the best available retirement saving options for many people, only 32% of Americans are investing in one, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is staggering given the number of employees who have access to one: 59% of employed Americans.

So how much do people actually have saved in their 401k plans? And how does this stack up against what they could have saved if they were maxing out their 401k every year?

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The 401 Contribution Limit Increased By $500 For 2020 Plus Workers 50 And Older Can Also Save An Extra Amount For Retirement

One of the best and most tax-friendly ways to build a nest egg for retirement is by contributing to an employer-sponsored 401 account. If your employer offers this benefit, jump in as soon as you can, because its never too early to start saving for retirement.

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Breaking It Down: Where Do You Fit In

There are many reasons you might think this chart seems totally reasonable, or, conversely, totally unreasonable. And thats understandable. Life presents us all with different challenges. We have unexpected medical expenses, decide to go back to school, or have kids and want to pay their college tuitions. These are all perfectly valid excuses as to why you might be falling behind where this chart says you should, or could, be.

Based on this chart, you would think that most Americans should be retiring as multi-millionaires at age 65. This probably seems way off-base, and in reality, it is most people retire with very little in the way of savings and investments. The point is that this chart shows what is possible if you are disciplined and strategic about your 401k savings.

If you are on the younger end of the ages shown on the chart, you may be daunted at the prospect of contributing $8,000 per year to your 401k, not to mention $19,500. Where you live, what your first-year salary is, or what loans you may be paying can make it difficult for this contribution to seem realistic. Its crucial, however, to recognize the importance of saving as much as you can for retirement as early as you can.

So, lets determine, based on the two scenarios in the potential savings chart, whether these figures would be sufficient to support your lifestyle for the rest of your retirement.The average life expectancy for men is around 84 years old, and 86.5 years old for women.

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What Kind Of Investments Are In A 401

401 accounts often offer a small, curated selection of mutual funds. Thats a good thing and a bad thing: On the plus side, you may have access to lower-cost versions of those specific funds, especially at very large companies that qualify for reduced pricing.

The negative is that even with discounted costs, that small selection narrows your investment options, and some of the funds offered may still have higher expense ratios than what youd pay if you could shop among a longer list of options. That can make it harder to build a low-cost, diversified portfolio.

Some plans also charge administrative fees on top of fund expenses, which can add up. If your 401 is expensive, contribute enough to earn your company match, and then direct any additional retirement savings contributions for the year into an IRA.

Tax Impact On 401 Roth And Ira

Your investments in a 401 are tax-deferred. Your contributions come out of your paycheck pre-tax, and youâre only taxed on that income when you withdraw it after retirement. That means you end up paying income taxes on the interest you earned on those savings. The same applies to traditional IRAs.

On the other hand, with a Roth IRA or Roth 401, your contributions are taxed upon deposit and distributions in retirement are tax-free, meaning you donât pay taxes on the interest you earn on your investment.

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How Do I Invest 15% For Retirement

The first place to start investing is through your workplace, especially if it offers a company match. If your employer offers a Roth 401 or Roth 403, then you can invest the entire 15% of your income there and youre done. With a Roth option, you contribute after-tax dollars. That means your money grows tax-free, plus you dont pay taxes on that money when you take it out at retirement . Talk about making investing super easy!

If your employer matches your contributions to your 401, 403 or Thrift Savings Plan , you can reach your 15% goal by following these three steps:

For example, if your company will match 3% of your 401 contributions, invest 3% in that account and then put the remaining 12% in a Roth IRA. If that remaining 12% would put you over the annual contribution limit for a Roth IRA , max out the Roth IRA and then go back to your workplace 401 to finish out investing 15%.7

Here are two key takeaways: First, you need to invest 15% of your gross salary, not your take-home pay. Second, do not count the company match as part of your 15%. Consider that extra icing on the cake!

And 403 Contribution Limits

In 2017, savers age 49 and under can legally contribute $18,500. Savers who are 50 years or older can make an additional $6,000 catch up contribution, for a total annual 401 contribution of $24,500 a year.

Okay, done laughing? If the idea of contributing $18,500 a year doesnt make you laugh, well, great! The rest of us need to find a contribution amount thats going to accelerate our retirement savings but not cause us to start bouncing checks or going into debt.

The first questions to ask are:

• Does your employer match contributions?
• If so, up to what percentage?

Many employers will kick in a little extra towards your retirement plan. If this is the case, then you want to AT LEAST contribute the maximum amount theyll match. If you dont, its like turning down part of your salary.

Here are some guidelines:

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Think Of Medical Needs Later In Life

Annette Hammortree, CLTC, RICP, and Owner of Hammortree Financial Services

When taking a look at your employers retirement plan, I suggest that you start by contributing 15 percent of your income. The 401 specifically should be for at least the full matching contributions offered by your employer. The next step depends on your goals and objectives.

Once you have committed to matching the 401 contribution, the next step would be to utilize a Health Savings Account, since you can tap into this for medical needs during retirement, as well as starting a Roth IRA. The Roth is important since it provides another bucket to generate income during retirement. The power is in the rate of savings not the rate of return.

I also recommend taking a bucketing approach for different savings objectives, short , intermediate , long term and retirement.