Whether your employer offers one or not, you should learn the basics of a 401k account. This information will come in handy if your company ever switches to a 401k plan or you change jobs and are able to invest in a 401k. These accounts give you the ability to have some control over your retirement fund, unlike pensions where the company controls the funds.
401k plans are a tax-deferred retirement savings plan. They are administered by a third party investment company, not directly through your employer. The tax advantages are that you don’t have to pay taxes on the money you put into the account until you take it out. Most people fall into a lower tax bracket once they retire, so this could potentially save you a lot of money in taxes.
If you make less than $110, 000 per year, you can contribute up to $16, 500 per year to your 401k, and the total contribution including your employer match cannot exceed $49, 000. The limits increase to $22, 000 and $54, 500 once you reach the age of fifty. If you make more than $110, 000 per year, your employer may be required to reduce the amount you can contribute so that you are not investing a higher percentage of your income than the average worker at your company.
Employers have the option of matching employee contributions to a 401k plan. Not all employers offer this, but many do. Employer matching can be full or partial. Either way, there is usually some sort of limit on it. Employer matching is like free money, so if your employer matches you should try to contribute enough to get the maximum match amount if you can.
The funds in your 401k plan might not be fully vested immediately. This means that there might be a waiting period before the money is really considered yours. You can choose how the money in your 401k is invested, but you are limited to the options that your company makes available to you.
If you need money for something, you might be able to take a loan out against your 401k to pay for it. This benefit is available with many 401k plans, but not all of them. If you do borrow against your 401k plan, you have to pay the loan back, along with interest. In most cases, if you stop working for the company the loan will be due in full immediately. There are tax penalties for not paying it back when this happens.
Even if your company doesn’t offer a 401k plan, it can’t hurt to learn how they work. Someday you might just need to know.
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