Tagged Questions

3
votes
1answer
52 views

Why doesn't a mutual fund in my 401(k) have a ticker symbol?

For my 401(k), I am trying to diversify while avoiding high expense ratios. Luckily among my investment choices are the Vanguard Target Retirement date funds which have fairly low expense ratios ...
2
votes
1answer
57 views

Will I face complications when rolling my Roth 401K into a Roth IRA when I become a grad student?

I'm planning to leave my current employer in four years and attend grad school for several years, and I'm unsure what I should do with the funds in my Roth 401K. Based on my current salary and my ...
4
votes
1answer
71 views

Is it a good idea to increase W4 allowance claim in order to fully fund 401k?

My company matches my 401k contributions, up to a limit, 6%. I don't currently contribute the max, but I would like to start. I know when I increase the W4 allowances, my take-home pay goes up, and ...
3
votes
1answer
39 views

Can I rollover some of my Roth 401(k) into my Roth IRA even if I'm still employed?

My 401(k) plan, to which I make after-tax contributions, has excellent choices for index funds. I have a plan to get Admiral shares of Vanguard Total US Stock Market (ER of 0.06%), then use the bond ...
3
votes
1answer
94 views

Why might it be a bad idea to invest 100% of your 401(k) into a stock index fund?

Background: I'm a young 20-something, I won't be retiring for 40+ years, and the expense ratios for the funds offered in my company's 401(k) plan mostly suck. I understand that one of the reasons an ...
3
votes
1answer
72 views

Can I still deduct contributions to my Traditional IRA?

I worked as a consultant on W2 from January 2012 until October 2012. My company did not offer any 401k. In November 2012, I got a full time job and the new company offered a 401K and enrolled me in ...
2
votes
1answer
79 views

401k Option - Lifecycle or S&P Index - what are pros and cons?

When I set up a 401k a few years ago, my options were pretty limited, so I simply went with a lifecycle target retirement date fund (exp ratio of 0.12%). However, I now see I can choose a passively ...
4
votes
2answers
70 views

401k Catch up Provision - Limits on timing?

My girlfriend, a Highly Compensated Employee (HCE rules in effect), has her 401k contributions in check by her plan and HR. However, she is also 50+, thus eligible for the Catch Up provision for $5500 ...
4
votes
1answer
119 views

Is it a bad idea to have both pre-tax and Roth money in a 401k?

From reading this article, it seems extremely hard to "separate" the pre-tax and the Roth parts of 401(k)s -- you must always move them together. But moving them together is often not efficient; e.g. ...
3
votes
1answer
100 views

Transferring money from 403B to 401K?

I worked for an employer with a 403b and contributed, but my new employer only does 401k. Can I put the money from the 403b into the 401k? How?
4
votes
3answers
153 views

How should I calculate the opportunity cost of using a 401(k) loan?

I've seen a number of financial articles that discuss the "opportunity cost" of using a 401(k) loan; however, I don't seem to recall ever seeing a good formula or calculation that can be done to ...
4
votes
1answer
162 views

How to deal with my job change & 401k loan that I can't fully pay back?

It's been 60 days since I changed my job and I have an outstanding 401(k) loan of $30K(+30k non loan amount). I have only $20K to pay and my 401k plan won't accept the partial amount. I still didn't ...
1
vote
5answers
489 views

Would any experienced individual balk at the idea of ignoring a 401k plan?

I would rather invest my money on my own how I see fit and plan my retirement custom-style. ASSUMING a person knows how to use and invest their money wisely, would it still be a bad idea to entirely ...
2
votes
2answers
294 views

Pre-tax 401k and post-tax Roth 401k contributions commingled into same account? Tax treatment of withdrawals?

My employer recently began offering Roth 401k contributions. I decided to switch my contributions to the Roth 401k, figuring that it is impossible to guess what my tax situation will be in 25 years ...
6
votes
2answers
585 views

What does Personal/Internal Rate of Return mean for a 401k?

My 401k statements show a "Personal Rate of Return" (also called Internal Rate of Return), and I am curious what this actually means. Does this indicate how my funds are performing in the market? Or ...
5
votes
5answers
209 views

Is there any reason at all to have a traditional IRA if you already have a 401k and earn more than a certain amount?

I was not aware that if you have a work-sponsored retirement plan, then traditional IRA contributions are pre-tax only if your salary is low enough (according to this). Given that, is there any ...
5
votes
2answers
212 views

Optimal way for withdrawing vested company match from my 401k?

It's possible that I'll be laid off in a few months. Currently I have x + y in my 401k. x = my personal contribution y = my company match --> which is vested Soon I'll make a fairly big ...
4
votes
3answers
538 views

Employer overpaid 401k - what's my liability?

My employer overpaid into my 401k account (ie: deposited an extra paycheck's worth of money into the account). I notified the HR/payroll person of the mistake, and they said they'd "look into it", ...
5
votes
1answer
519 views

My bonus is taxed at a higher rate than my regular paychecks, so should I contribute 100% of my bonus to 401k?

Is there a tax advantage to putting 100% of my bonus into 401k? From looking at my pay stubs, my bonus gets taxed at a higher rate than my regular paychecks. And since traditional 401k contributions ...
8
votes
6answers
593 views

Why should one only contribute up to the employer's match in a 401(k)?

On a recent edition of Jim Cramer's Mad Money, he urgently (does he do things otherwise?) recommended that you ONLY contribute up to the employer's match in your 401(k) and put the rest of what you ...
2
votes
2answers
131 views

Should I open an individual 401k account?

I am looking for some advice on what to do with the Money from a previous employer 401k. I currently have the checks that were issued to the trust of my new employer's 401k service. I have not sent ...
6
votes
2answers
306 views

Non-qualified Savings Plan vs. 401(k) for Highly Compensated Employee

Late last year, I started a higher-paying job than I've ever had. Today I got a letter from my employer's benefits department and Fidelity telling me that I'm expected to pass $115,000 in ...
2
votes
1answer
138 views

Add $5000 to existing retirement account

I have an employer sponsored account(401k by Fidelity) which was opened in my first company. Now I am in another company. To reduce my tax liability, can I add $5000 to the account so the amount is ...
2
votes
2answers
58 views

Tax treatment for non-matched 401k vs. a Roth?

I've heard that you should invest for retirement in the following order: 401k with employee match Roth IRA, until you hit the max Rest of your 401k I was curious however. The money for a 401k ...
2
votes
1answer
111 views

Are 401(k) fees based on contribution amounts or total account balance? What's reasonable?

I have a good employer match of a straight 25%. Deposits are made weekly. My balance is roughly $150,000. I have contributed $17,800 YTD, and paid $817 in fees, or 4.6% of my contributions. Are ...
3
votes
1answer
138 views

Former 401(k) plan closed and check mailed to me. Can I roll over this money and avoid paying tax?

My former employer's 401(k) plan has been terminated and I was mailed a distribution check with 20% tax withheld. However, I wanted to move my money into my current employer's 401(k) and not pay tax. ...
7
votes
5answers
201 views

Advice on low-risk long-term strategy for extra cash?

Basics no debt; no dependents; early thirties 401K is maxed (5% company match) ESPP is maxed out 10% Roth IRA is maxed out salary is about 115K 100K cash in a checking account Question I am ...
2
votes
1answer
267 views

401k Contributions + Employer Match be greater than Maximum Contribution?

This year, 401k contributions are capped at $17,000 per person. So let's say somebody contributes this amount and is matched maybe 8% by their employer each contribution period. Can the total amount ...
5
votes
1answer
207 views

Moving current employer 401k balance into self-directed solo 401k?

Let's say my employer offers a 401k. In general, this means I can only pick from a basket of funds to invest in. I prefer self directing my investments, and my broker offers a no-fee solo 401k. I ...
2
votes
1answer
229 views

Are there any rules about when a former employer must release the funds for rollover from a 401K?

My company was recently acquired/merged with another company, and I won't go into the gritty details about the acquisition, but suffice it to say that all existing employees were effectively let go ...
2
votes
0answers
34 views

Should I invest in 401(k) both pre and after tax? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Recent graduate with new job: Choose Roth 401(k), or traditional 401(k)? My employer offers both pre and after tax 401(k). Since I am in my mid 20s and I don't know what ...
3
votes
4answers
106 views

What is a 401(k) Loan Provision?

I'm considering a few job offers for post-college, and I'm wondering how this (Roth) 401(k) plan stacks up against the average offering: After one year of service, [Company] will: ...
2
votes
1answer
63 views

Does a rollover IRA impact your basis for converting a traditional to Roth?

In the United States, does having a rollover IRA impact your basis for converting a traditional to Roth? I ask because I have a 401(k) with a former employer than I could rollover to an IRA and get ...
5
votes
2answers
234 views

I have access to a 401K at work but the fees are high. Should I contribute, or do otherwise?

I have a retirement plan 401K from work. The employer does NOT contribute anything. I just enrolled into account and got to know that there are fees associated with the account. The fees is ...
5
votes
2answers
111 views

Which should I prefer, traditional or Roth 401k? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Recent graduate with new job: Choose Roth 401(k), or traditional 401(k)? I'm just a few years out of college, and am starting to put aside some retirement savings. My ...
1
vote
1answer
122 views

IRS letter about 401(k) rollover not shown on return

I got an IRS letter that states my return does not match the records they have from others. In particular, it shows I reported $0 but they were reported a non-zero amount for taxable retirement ...
0
votes
1answer
80 views

What are the requirements for setting up a solo 401k?

I'm leaving a job that has a 401k for a startup that has no 401k. I can switch to using a traditional IRA but the max contribution per year is 5K, so that would cut my tax-deffered savings per year ...
9
votes
3answers
496 views

What happens to 401(k) money that isn't used by the time the account holder dies?

What happens to un-withdrawn 401(k) funds upon the death of the account holder? Can they be transferred to an heir? What are the tax implications (if any) of this?
3
votes
2answers
271 views

Tax implications of 401k regular rebalancing vs a retirement target fund

This question is in the context of securities held within a 401k. As I understand it, one of the advantages of a retirement target date fund (like Fidelity's FFFHX, which I am in 100%) is that the ...
1
vote
1answer
945 views

401k withdrawal abroad and state taxation?

For what I know about 401k, when its time to retire, we take our 401k money and pay federal and state tax. Some states don't have taxes on 401k — Florida is a good example. So many people move to ...
7
votes
4answers
152 views

Is my first 401(k) fund allocation reasonable, and with respect to fees?

I just started my first job after school and am now being enrolled in my company's 401k plan, which is handled by Vanguard. By default, I was put into the Target Retirement 2050 Trust II fund, which ...
2
votes
1answer
105 views

What to do about the 401(k) account when leaving the employer? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Started new job. Rollover previous employer 401k to new 401k, IRA or Roth IRA? I have a 401(k) account with my last company. I contributed 6% and company matched up to ...
3
votes
3answers
162 views

Should I participate in a 401k if there is no company match?

The 401K program offered by my employer doesn't include a company match. Should I participate in the plan? What are the criteria one should use for estimating the worth of the situation?
6
votes
3answers
212 views

How to get started with savings, paying off debt, and retirement?

I am getting married soon and I am in grad school (I get paid a stipend and have a tuition scholarship). I have no retirement plans available to me. My fiancee will be starting her job soon and will ...
2
votes
1answer
74 views

Are IRAs and 401(k)s protected against lawsuits and garnishments?

There's as similar question about bankruptcy, but these protections apply to lawsuits or garnishments?
0
votes
1answer
80 views

Possible pro-rated division of asset strategies without a prenup?

Example: I have $100,000 in the bank. I get married. We start a joint account from scratch. All future salaries and bills from both of us come and go from here. Is there any way to keep the ...
14
votes
2answers
708 views

Accidentally cashed out 401k instead of rolling it into an IRA. What do i do?

I've recently changed jobs (past two weeks) from an employer with a 401k to a new employer who does not offer any retirement accounts. I made a huge mistake and accidentally cashed out my 401k ...
4
votes
3answers
207 views

My employer does not offer a 401k for the first year. Should I bother with an IRA instead?

My new employer does not offer a 401k for the first year of employment. Should I bother with creating an IRA account given the max limit is 5k? Or should I just put the 5k in a savings account? ...
1
vote
2answers
109 views

Toward which year would an end-of-the-year 401k contribution apply?

Hypothetically, if a person's pay period ends on Dec 31st 2012, and they get that paycheck the next week (as in, 2013), which year's contribution limit would any 401k contribution be applied toward?
6
votes
5answers
604 views

Could excess 401(k) contributions be used to game/maximize matches from different employers?

Suppose I max out my 401(k) really early. This avoids the risk that if I lose the job I would have lost the chance to contribute to it fully. However there is another risk. My company doesn't match. ...

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