05 Nov 09 Learning The Basics Of A 401K Account

401k plans have become very popular with employers. These plans are being used in place of pension plans to offer a retirement option for employees. Since the plans are handled by third party investment firms, they are safer for employees because the fund doesn’t disappear if the employer goes bankrupt. As long as the employee doesn’t invest his entire 401k fund into company stock, his 401k will continue to grow even if the company goes under. Here are the basics of a 401k account.

Another benefit of 401k plans is how they are taxed. When you contribute to a 401k plan, the money you invest is not taxed as income in the year that it is earned. Instead, it is taxed as ordinary income when you withdraw it from the retirement account. Since it is likely that you will be making less money when you retire than you do now, this can result in substantial tax savings.

Most people can contribute up to $16, 500 per year in their 401k. If the employer offers matching, then the total of the employee’s contributions and the matching cannot be more than $49, 000. When an employee reaches the age of 50, the limits rise to $22, 000 for the employee contribution and $54, 500 total. There are additional restrictions for employees who make over $110, 000 annually. If your salary is higher than this, your employer must follow a formula to determine how much you can contribute.

Employer matching is offered by many companies that have 401k plans for their employees. If your employer offers matching, they will put extra money in your 401k account based on the amount you contribute. They may match contributions 100% up to a certain amount, or they may do partial matching. Some companies require the matched contributions to be put into a fund that only purchases company stock.

The money that is invested in a 401k by your company match may or may not be vested immediately. What that means is that in some plans, you have to wait a certain period of time after the investment is made before the money is fully yours. The investment choices available to you in your 401k plan are chosen by your company. You can decide how to invest your money within those options. Sometimes the options are quite limited.

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.

Since many companies now opt for 401k plans instead of traditional pensions, it’s a good idea to get an idea of how they work. That way you can make an informed decision about whether to invest in your company’s plan.

Are you looking for a solid 401k retirement investment strategy that works for you? Before you spend your time looking for quality retirement investing information, check out BeforeYouInvest.com’s guide to invest money online before you do anything else. BeforeYouInvest.com reviews everything from saving for retirement to the 401K direct rollover so take a look.

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