Understanding the Basics
- Introduction
- Your Role In Planning for Retirement
- Why You Should Invest in a 401(k) Plan
- A New Option to the 401(k)
- Choosing between a 401(k) and a Roth IRA
- Key Considerations
Key Considerations
To help you make decisions about where to save for retirement that fit your specific situation, consider the following points:
- Consider making the maximum pre-tax contribution to your company retirement plan, especially if it has a company match. Payroll deductions ensure the money will go into your account.
- A company retirement plan will typically allow you to make a much higher annual contribution than an IRA, which is capped at $5,500 in 2016 (same in 2015). Catch-up provisions may apply.
- Most company retirement plans allow you to take a loan against your account balance.
- If you've maxed out the pre-tax annual contribution to your company retirement plan, and you qualify to establish a Roth IRA, save in the Roth IRA to take advantage of tax-free growth and withdrawals. If you don't qualify for a Roth IRA, you can make a non-deductible contribution to a traditional IRA.
Keep in mind that it's your responsibility to make sure you have enough money when you retire. Here are some questions to ask as you go along.
- Are you saving enough?
- How much can you afford to save?
- How should you use your 401(k) plan to save?
- What other retirement savings options do you have?