What To Do With 401k When You Retire

Write Even If Youre The Only One Who Reads Your Work

Finally, there is time to write that book you always wanted to, or to set up and manage a blog, write articles to be published in magazines or elsewhere, poems or your memoirs.

If writing a book sounds a step too far, why not start a gratitude journal! It is a great way to stay mindful and in the moment. It is the place where you can write down your reflections about whats positive in your life and what you are grateful for every day.

You Must Begin Taking Distributions At Age 72

Even if you donât need the money, youâll have to start taking required minimum distributions from your 401 beginning at age 72. The same goes for any other tax-deferred retirement accounts you may have. , you can get around this by converting these funds to a Roth IRA. However, you wonât owe any taxes on the money in a Roth 401, and itâs distributed proportionately.)

The amount youâre required to withdraw depends on your retirement account balances and your life expectancy. While these IRS worksheets can help you do the math, a financial advisor can help you think about how to be effective with your distributions.

The Boring Glory Of Index Funds

Your best bet is to buy something called an index fund and keep it forever. Index funds buy every stock or bond in a particular category or market. The advantage is that you know youll be capturing all of the returns available in, say, big American stocks or bonds in emerging markets.

And yes, buying index funds is boring: You usually wont see enormous day-to-day swings in prices the same way you may if you owned Apple stock. But those big swings come with powerful feelings of greed, fear and regret, and those feelings may cause you to buy or sell your investments at the worst possible time. So best to avoid the emotional tumult by touching your investments

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After You Retire You Have An Important Choice To Make With Your 401 Account Here Are The Options Available Along With The Pros And Cons Of Each So You Can Determine Which Is Best For You

This article was updated on July 6, 2017, and was originally published on June 13, 2015.

If you’re planning to retire soon and have a 401 or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan, then you have an important question to answer: what happens with your retirement nest egg? You could choose to leave your money in the plan, take a lump sum payout or partial withdrawal, buy an annuity, or roll the money over to an IRA. All of these options have their pros and cons, so let’s see if we can figure out which is the best move for you.

Option : Transfer The Money From Your Old 401 Plan Into Your New Employers Plan

Moving your old 401 into your new employers qualified retirement plan is also an option when you change jobs. The new plan may have lower fees or investment options that better support your financial goals. Rolling over your old 401 into your new companys plan can also make it easier to track your retirement savings, since youll have everything in one place. Its worthwhile to talk with an Ameriprise advisor who will compare the investments and features of both plans.

Some things to think about if youre considering rolling over a 401 into a new employers plan:

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Withdrawing Money From A 401 After Retirement

Once you have retired, you will no longer contribute to the 401 plan, and the plan administrator is required to maintain the account if it has more than a $5000 balance. If the account has less than $5000, it will trigger a lump-sum distribution, and the plan administrator will mail you a check with your full 401 balance minus 20% withholding tax.

Before you can start taking distributions, you should contact the plan administrator about the specific rules of the 401 plan. The plan sponsor must get your consent before initiating the distribution of your retirement savings. In some 401 plans, the plan administrator may require the consent of your spouse before sending a distribution. You can choose to receive non-periodic or periodic distributions from the 401 plan.

For required minimum distributions, the plan administrator calculates the amount of distribution for the qualified plans in each calendar year. The 401 may provide that you either receive the entire benefits in the 401 by the required beginning date or receive periodic distributions from the required date in amounts calculated to distribute the entire benefits over your life expectancy.

Host A Retirement Party

A retirement party is always a good idea to celebrate retirement. You can end the last day of school with a retirement party in the classroom, lunch hall on campus, or another venue. Order some drinks, food, retirement cake and invite people and youve got yourself a party. Here is a complete checklist for a retirement party if you need some extra help organizing.

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Option : Keep Your Savings With Your Previous Employers Plan

If your previous employers 401 allows you to maintain your account and you are happy with the plans investment options, you can leave it. This might be the most convenient choice, but you should still evaluate your options. Each year, American workers manage to lose track of billions of dollars in old retirement savings accounts, so you should make sure to track your account regularly, review your investments as part of your overall portfolio and keep the beneficiaries up to date.

Some things to think about if youre considering keeping your money in your previous employers plan:

Eventually You Must Withdraw Money From A 401

Uncle Sam won’t let you keep money in the 401 tax shelter forever. As with IRAs, 401s have required minimum distributions. You must take your first RMD by April 1 in the year after you turn 72. You will have to calculate an RMD for each old 401 you own. Once you’ve determined the RMD, the money must then be withdrawn separately from each 401. Note that unlike Roth IRAs, Roth 401s do have mandatory distributions starting at age 72.

If you hit that magic age, you are still working, and you don’t own 5% or more of the company, you don’t have to take an RMD from your current employer’s 401. And if you want to hold off on RMDs from old 401s and IRAs, you could consider rolling all those assets into your current employer’s 401 plan.

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Reasons You May Want To Roll Over Now

• Diversification. Investment options in your 401 can be limited and are selected by the plan sponsor. Rolling your funds over into an IRA can often broaden your choice of investments. More choices can mean more diversification in your retirement portfolio and the opportunity to invest in a wider range of asset classes including individual stocks and bonds, managed accounts, REITs and annuities.
• Beneficiary flexibility. With some IRAs, you may be able to name multiple and contingent beneficiaries or name a trust as the beneficiary. Other IRAs may allow you to impose restrictions on beneficiaries. These options aren’t usually available with 401s. But, keep in mind, not all IRA custodians have the same rules about beneficiaries so be sure to check carefully.
• Ownership control. You are the owner and have access rights with an IRA. The assets in your IRA are also not subject to blackout periods. With a 401 plan, the qualified plan trustee owns the assets and assets may be subject to blackout periods in which account access is limited.
• Distribution options. If your IRA is set up as a Roth IRA, there is not a set age when the owner is required to take minimum distributions. With 401 plans and traditional IRAs, the owner will have to take required minimum distributions by April 1 of the year after they turn age 72.

There Are Fees You Pay For Your 401

Unfortunately, 401 plans come with fees but many savers dont realize this. According to TDAmeritrades January 2018 Investor Pulse Survey, 37% of Americans dont know that they pay any 401 fees, 22% dont know if their plan has fees, and 14% dont know how to determine the fees. Typically larger plans will have lower fees but the number of enrollees and the plans provider can also affect the cost. Typically, fees will range from 0.5% to 2% of the plan assets.

Pay attention to each fund’s expense ratio, which is a measure of a fund’s operating expenses expressed as an annual percentage. The lower the expense ratio, the less youll pay to invest. A total expense ratio of 1% or less is reasonable. Look at your 401 plan’s website to find a fund’s expense ratio.

The good news is that your plan may give you access to lower-cost institutional shares, which are cheaper than different share classes of the same investment bought through an IRA. The average equity mutual fund expense ratio for stock funds in 401s was 0.50% in 2020, according to the Investment Company Institute. One way to cut costs: Look to see whether your plan offers index funds, which tend to be cheaper than actively managed funds.

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Why Transfer Your 401 To An Ira

Why would you move savings from an old 401 plan to an IRA? The main reason is to keep control of your money. In an IRA, you get to decide what happens with the funds: You choose where to invest and how much you pay in fees, and you dont need anybodys permission to take money out of the account.

More Control

Cost and providers: In your 401, your employer controls almost everything. Employers choose vendors for the plan, which determines the investment lineup available. Those might not be investments you like, and they might be more expensive than you want. If you want to practice socially-responsible investing, the 401 may lack options for that.

Timing: 401 plans also require extra steps when you want to withdraw funds: An administrator needs to verify that you are eligible to access your money before youre allowed to take a distribution. Plus, some 401 plans dont allow partial withdrawalsyou might need to take your full balance.

Easy Withdrawals

If you need access to your 401 savings for any reason, its easier when the money is in an IRA. In most cases, you call your IRA provider or request a withdrawal online. Depending on what you own in your account, the funds might go out as soon as the next business day. But 401 plans might need a few extra days for everybody to sign off on the distribution.

Complicated Situations

Control Tax Withholding

Old Age Security Pension

The Old Age Security pension is a monthly benefit for Canadians who are 65 or older. You can get OAS benefits even if you’re still working or have never worked.

You dont need to contribute to the OAS pension in order to benefit from it. You can start to receive OAS at age 65 or choose to defer for up to 5 years. For every month you delay receiving your OAS pension, the higher the monthly payment will be.

Youll typically be eligible for the OAS pension if you are a Canadian citizen or legal resident and have lived in Canada for at least 10 years. The amount you will get from the OAS pension depends on how long you lived in Canada after the age of 18. You will typically be eligible for the maximum amount if you lived in Canada for 40 years or more.

You may be selected for auto enrolment in the OAS pension. This means that you wont have to apply to start receiving your OAS pension. You will receive a letter a month after you turn 64 years old telling you if you are chosen for auto enrolment in the OAS pension. You can still defer receiving your OAS pension if you are eligible for auto enrolment.

If you dont get a letter telling you that you are eliglble for auto enrolment then you will have to apply for the OAS in writing by completing and mailing in the application form.

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When It’s Time To Withdraw Funds From A 457 It Can Get Complicated

If you’re a state or local government employee, or work for a tax-exempt non-profit, you may be saving for retirement with a 457 plan. This is one of the most complex of the employer-sponsored plans available, and there are several variations. As you get close to retirement, make sure you know the options available to you for withdrawing your money.

Your Company May Match Your 401 Contribution

Many employers will help you save in your 401 by matching an employee’s contribution up to a certain percentage, perhaps 50 cents for every dollar you contribute up to 6% of your pay. Be clear on what the company’s formula is.

Some companies will provide contributions to employees’ accounts, regardless of whether employees contribute their own money. And some employers may provide the match in company stock. Whichever way the company helps you save, ask whether there is a vesting schedule for that employer-provided money. You may have to work for the company for a certain amount of time before that money becomes 100% yours.

• 401 Options After Youve Left Your Job

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Getting A Reverse Mortgage

A reverse mortgage allows you to get money from your homes value without having to sell your home. You are given a loan that is secured by the equity in your home and dont have to make payments on the amount you owe until the loan is due. This is usually when you move out of your house, sell it or pass away.

Reverse mortgages are available to homeowners 55 years old and older. The costs associated with a reverse mortgage may be high.

Before choosing this option, make sure you understand if this type of loan is best for you.

Option 2 Roll The Money Over Into An Ira

What wont change:

• Your money continues to grow tax-deferred. With the roll over, there are no tax implications if you move the money from the employer plan directly into the IRA.

Some considerations:

• Fees and expenses can vary between different providers. It will be important to do your research to make sure you understand how much you are paying for your investment advice.

A good reason to roll it over into an IRA?

• Investment Options you will have many more investment options to choose from than your employer plan

• Strategic Tax Planning When you take distributions, you can choose to withhold taxes or pay taxes when you file your taxes at the end of the year.

• If you are under age 59 ½ you can take distributions for higher education expenses or as a first time homebuyer without paying the 10% penalty.

• Simplification you may want to combine your individual retirement accounts from your past employers into one IRA that will allow you easier management of your money as you age.

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Retirement And Annuity Planning

Life expectancy is critical for retirement planning. Many aging workers arrange their retirement plans’ asset allocations based on a prediction of how long they expect to live. Personal, rather than statistical, life expectancy is a primary factor in the character of a retirement plan. When couples are planning for retirement or annuity payments, they often use a joint life expectancy in which they take the life expectancy of their partner into account as well.

Most retirement plans, including the traditional and Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE IRA plans, also use life expectancy to determine the implementation of required minimum distributions for the plan. Most retirement plans expect participants to begin taking at least the RMD by the time they reach the age of 72 . Retirement plans set distributions on the IRS life expectancy tables. Some qualified plans may allow RMD distributions to begin at a later date.

Due to an increase in life expectancy, the SECURE Act adjusted the required minimum distribution age from 70½ to 72for individuals who attain age 70½ after Dec. 31, 2019. Those who have reached 70½ during 2019 or earlier are not affected.

Put The Money In A Traditional Ira

401s have significant advantages over IRAs during your working years because it’s so easy to contribute to a 401 and because the resulting tax break is automatic. With an IRA, you can still get a tax break, but you have to claim it on your tax return as a deduction, which can be a bit of a hassle. But once you retire, the advantage shifts to the IRA. That’s because IRAs have access to pretty much the entire world of investment options, while 401s typically only have a few investments available to choose from.

What’s more, the investment options in your 401 can change at any time based on decisions made by your former employers, while the investments in your IRA are entirely in your control. All in all, rolling over your 401 balance into an IRA after retirement makes a lot of sense.

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