Should I Put A Lump Sum Of Money I Receive Into An Employers 401 Plan Or An Ira
Generally speaking, a 401 plan is likely to be more expensive than an IRA. Still, a more important issue is whether your employer makes matching contributions to the 401 plan. Some employers will match, or at least partially match, some or all of the amount their employees contribute to the 401 plan. If you are eligible for this kind of matching contribution, it could very well outweigh any fee differential between a 401 plan and an IRA.
If your employer does not make matching contributions, then there might be a couple of advantages to putting your money into an IRA rather than a 401. One of these advantages is a broader range of investment options. Depending on which 401 platform your employer uses, there may be some limitation to the investment choices available to you. Most plans have a range of options ranging from low-risk to high-risk, but you are limited to the options the plan has chosen to make available. In an IRA, you can use any legitimate investment vehicle, from savings accounts to stocks to commodities.
Another advantage of an IRA may well be a lower fee structure. If you invest in a mutual fund or other managed investment vehicle, you will pay some form of fee, whether it is in a 401 or an IRA. On top of that though, 401 plans also have record-keeping and administrative fees, which can add another layer of cost.
When you leave a job, you also stop investing in that employers 401 plan. Youll need to decide how to invest the money in that account.
What To Do If You Are Self
In some cases you might be in a situation where you do not even have access to an employer-sponsored 401 at all. If you are a business owner, freelancer, contractor or other self-employed individual, then you should go ahead and open a solo 401 account. As long as your business has no other employees, then you can open this account and begin making contributions. Going this route will maximize the amount of money that you are allowed to put away. Since you are both the employer and employee, you can contribute all the way up to $58,000 into your 401 when you take into account the employer contributions as well. You will also get a big break when it is time to file your tax return as well because your contributions are tax deferred and will not be considered taxable income in the current year.
Once you have maxed out your solo 401, then you should go ahead and open an IRA. It is likely that you will be unable to deduct your contributions if you make enough money to max out your 401, but your investments in the account still grow tax-free. You can also avoid the tax penalty by waiting until age 59 1/2 to withdraw money from the account.
Can You Have Both A 401 And Ira
Yes. This is a great strategy, especially if you have enough income to max out your annual 401 contribution limit. Depending on your age, you can put another $6,000-$7,000 in an IRA.1
Another strategy is to invest enough to meet your employers contribution match, then direct whatever else you can to an IRA.
It’s important to note that, depending on your income, you may not be eligible for IRA tax benefits if you have access to a 401 or other employer-provided retirement account. Tax benefits of traditional IRAs phase out if your individual income is over $68,000 . Roth IRA benefits phase out if individual income is over $129,000 .2
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Retirement Planning: Roth Ira Vs Traditional Ira Vs 401
Along with building your financial independence comes the responsibility of retirement planning. For many, guaranteed pension plans are not an option and Social Security isnt enough. Its up to you to decide what amount of money you can save now in order to provide a living well into your golden years. Heres a look at the three most popular savings accounts: Roth IRA, IRA, and a 401.
Its Easier To Set Up A Roth With An Ira
Both the 401 and the IRA have a variation called a Roth, which provides special tax advantages. The key advantage of either Roth account is that participants will not have to pay any tax on withdrawals at retirement. In exchange, their contributions are made with after-tax money, so they dont receive a tax break on todays taxes as they do with traditional plans.
However, not all employers offered a Roth 401 just 75 percent in 2019. If your company doesnt offer the Roth version, you dont have that alternative.
But anyone who can open an IRA can open the Roth variant. While the Roth IRA technically has an income limit that prevents participants from opening it, theres a legal way to do so anyway called a backdoor Roth IRA.Here are the details on the backdoor Roth.
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Where Should You Transfer Your 401
You have several options on what to do with your 401 savings after retirement or when you change jobs. For example, you can:
The right choice depends on your needs, and thats a choice everybody needs to make after evaluating all of the options.
Want help finding the right place for your retirement savings? Thats exactly what I do. As a fee-only fidicuary advisor, I can provide advice whether you prefer to pay a flat fee or youd like me to handle investment management for you, and I dont earn any commissions. To help with that decision, learn more about me or take a look at the Pricing page to see if it makes sense to talk. Theres no obligation to chat.
Important:The different rules that apply to 401 and IRA accounts are confusing. Discuss any transfers with a professional advisor before you make any decisions. This article is not tax advice, and you need to verify details with a CPA and your employers plan administrator. Likewise, only an attorney authorized to work in your state can provide guidance on legal matters. Approach Financial, Inc. does not provide tax or legal services. This information might not be applicable to your situation, it may be out of date, and it may contain errors and omissions.
Traditional And Roth Iras
Like 401s, contributions to traditional IRAs are generally tax-deductible. Earnings and returns grow tax-free, and you pay tax on withdrawals in retirement. Contributions to a Roth IRA are made with after-tax dollars, meaning you dont receive a tax deduction in the year of the contribution. However, qualified distributions from a Roth IRA are tax-free in retirement.
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What Is The Difference Between A Traditional Ira And A Roth Ira
The main difference between a traditional and Roth IRA is the timing of the tax benefits. With a traditional account, you make tax-deferred contributions. This means that you will not pay income tax on those dollars today, but rather will pay taxes on them when you make withdrawals. With a Roth account, you pay taxes on the dollars today like normal income. When you withdraw those contributions, you get to enjoy them tax-free in retirement. There are also eligibility differences between the two types of accounts. If your income is too high, you will not be allowed to make Roth contributions. At that level of income, you can still make contributions to a traditional IRA, but your contributions may not be tax deductible. When considering a 401k vs Roth IRA, it is best if you can contribute to both plans.
Administration More Rules Means More Responsibilities
Because 401s are so much more flexible than SIMPLE IRAs, it should come as no surprise theyre also subject to more complicated rules. Employers have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure these rules are met.
As you might imagine, being a plan fiduciary includes a lot of administrative responsibilities. These include
- Sending notices and enrolling new employees as they become eligible
- Depositing contributions into participant accounts in a timely manner
- Running annual nondiscrimination testing to ensure the plan doesnt favor high-earners
- Filing Form 5500 with the IRS at the end of every year
- …and much more.
The good news? A competent 401 provider will complete the more difficult and time-consuming tasks for you and provide simple direction for you to complete the rest.
Depending on the size of your business, how often you hire new employees, how often you run payroll, as well as which 401 provider you work with, this might take you no more than 16-20 hours a year.
If keeping your plan administration responsibilities to a minimum is a high priority for you, a SIMPLE IRA might be a better option.
| 401 vs SIMPLE IRA – Administrative Responsibilities |
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Administrative simplicity isnt the only advantage of a SIMPLE IRA – they can oftentimes be cheaper than 401 plans as well.
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What Are The Benefits Of A Roth Ira
No Dependency On The Employer
In Roth IRA, no part is played by your employer. Hence, there is no employer match either. Your employment circumstances have no impact on your retirement account either. Moreover, if you get a new job, you won’t have to stress about rollover.
Tax-Free Wealth Accumulation
In a Roth IRA, you will experience tax-free growth. In the Roth IRA account, you put money that is already taxed. Hence when you have to obtain money, you will experience tax-free withdrawal.
Various Investing Options
You can choose from various investment options of mutual funds, and you will not be bound by any restrictions regarding what investments you can make. You won’t have to worry about a company match or someone else interfering with where you choose to invest. Therefore, there will be no lack of investment choices you have.
No RMDs required
As there are no required minimum distributions needed, you can easily keep money in the account till whatever time is suitable for you.
Non-Earning Spouse IRA
If your spouse does not earn, you are still eligible to open a Roth IRA for them to have money post-retirement. This will enable you to invest in both accounts, and there is no limit on the amount you can invest. Hence, Roth IRA is great for married couples, and you can make a great investment choice for your spouse.
Easy To Set Up
Read more:Do IRAs Lose Money?
Advantages Over Sep And Simple Iras
There are several retirement plan options a small business may want to consider. The main ones are a 401 plan, Simplified Employee Pension IRA known as the SEP IRA, or a Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees IRA referred to as a SIMPLE IRA.
When you compare a 401 to SEP IRA and SIMPLE IRA options, the differences become clear. 401s not only offer higher contribution limits, but also offer more flexibility in design to manage business costs, taxes, and enable penalty-free access to funds via a loan if an emergency arises. A summary of how these plan options vary includes:
| 401 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Access to funds before age 59½ | Penalty-free loans or 10% penalty for early withdrawal. | 25% penalty for withdrawing within first 2 years of participating 10% thereafter. | 10% penalty for withdrawal before age 59½. |
| Roth contributions | Yes â up to $20,500 per year or $27,000 if age 50 or over no income restrictions to contribute. | No | No |
A 401 may have a little more startup or administrative costs, but there are good low-cost providers such as ShareBuilder 401k that can make these negligible and these costs are typically tax deductible for the business. There aren’t many reasons to consider anything other than a 401.
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How To Protect A 401 And Ira During A Stock Market Crash
If a stock market crash occurs, and you havent been proactive, dont fret. A 401 or IRA owner can take a few options, waiting for the market to recover or move the money into a conservative vehicle like a deferred annuity.
Most deferred annuities offer principal protection, which means you cant lose money if the stock market takes a nosedive. Annuity owners either earn an interest rate or earn nothing at all . The annuitys value stays the same.
The variable annuity and the registered index-linked annuity are the exceptions to this rule, and an owner can lose some or all of their money if the stock market plummets.
Recovery Tip: Fixed indexed annuities can offer a premium bonus for new customers. The bonus could recover money lost from the crash.
S Iras And The Retirement Years
As you move closer to retirement, you move into the protection stage. After accumulating wealth over the years, its time to start preserving it for retirement.
If you currently have your money in a 401 with your employer, when you leave you may want to consider transferring it into an IRA. Depending on your needs in retirement, you might explore the possibility of a strategic amount of it being allocated in an annuity.
Here are some reasons why:
- As you approach retirement, your interests turn more income-related
- People tend to need more protected income for retirement than they did in their working years
- You may be able to guard some of your retirement assets from market risk
- With the right annuity, you can set up a guaranteed income stream for monthly living expenses
- Sometimes IRAs have lower fees and expenses than 401s may have
- If a 401 has high fees, keeping money in the plan means those fees will keep eating away into the balance
Of course, peoples current situation, future needs, and future goals will vary. This approach is worth considering in lieu of your retirement needs, but ultimately any strategy should be appropriate for your complete financial picture.
Be sure to confer with an experienced financial professional about your personal situation. Here are some other fundamentals which may help you with any retirement decisions.
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Max Out Both To Boost Your Nest Egg
Kirsten Rohrs Schmitt is an accomplished professional editor, writer, proofreader, and fact-checker. She has expertise in finance, investing, real estate, and world history. Throughout her career, she has written and edited content for numerous consumer magazines and websites, crafted resumes and social media content for business owners, and created collateral for academia and nonprofits. Kirsten is also the founder and director of Your Best Edit find her on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Types Of Retirement Accounts: Iras And 401s
We can help. By learning about your options, you can choose the type of savings account thats right for your life, now and in the future.
Lets start with the two most common ways to saveIndividual Retirement Accounts and 401 accounts. Well break down the similarities and differences between traditional 401s and traditional IRAs, then share details around Roth IRAs and Roth 401s, giving you a basic understanding of each.
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Should I Keep My Pension Or Roll It Over To An Ira
The benefits of rolling over from a retirement plan to an IRA include a wider variety of investment options, tax avoidance, greater control over your retirement savings, and withdrawal flexibility. The disadvantages of moving to an IRA include lost creditor protection, no loan options, and early withdrawal penalties.
Can a lump-sum retirement amount be rolled into an IRA? Yes! According to IRS Publication 575, if youre faced with a lump sum payment, you can switch to a traditional IRA or 401 and incur no tax or early withdrawal penalty.
Traditional Vs Roth: Whats The Difference
Whether youre contributing to a 401 or an IRA, you may get to choose between Roth or traditional.
If you still arent confident about the difference, dont fret.
When you contribute to a traditional 401 or IRA, youre putting in pre-tax dollars. That means you havent paid any taxes to the IRS on those dollars. And you wont pay any taxes until you withdraw the money in the future.
When you contribute to a Roth 401 or IRA, youre putting in post-tax dollars. That means youve already paid taxes to the IRS on those dollars. And if you follow the rules, you wont ever have to pay taxes on that money again.
Clark expects taxes to rise in the future. So unless youre sure that your tax rate is higher now than it will be in the future, he thinks Roth is better than traditional .
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Why Is A 401 Better Than An Ira In Terms Of Retirement
Whats right for you really comes down to your unique circumstances, so its important to consider both 401s and IRAs as potential retirement savings tools.
401s definitely have their advantages. One of the biggest is employer contribution matches. So if your employer offers one, be sure to take advantage of it. Otherwise youll be leaving that free money on the table. Another advantage of 401s are their contribution limits, which are about three to four times higher than those of IRAs.
But dont count out IRAs just because you have a 401. Traditional IRAs offer an additional, pretax investment option. And, if you expect to be in a higher tax bracket when you reach retirement age, Roth IRAs withdrawals are tax-free.
Making the right decision can sometimes feel overwhelming. If youre unsure of what to choose, talk to a retirement planner. A professional can help you map out the best strategy for your financial situation.
