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Today, planning for retirement has become very important for several reasons. One reason is that people are living longer, which means if the average person retires at age 65, they may be living well into their nineties. This means that you would have to have enough money put aside to last for approximately thirty years after you stop working. If you want to start planning for retirement, there are several tips you can follow to manage your own 401k investments.
Contributions for the plan are deducted from the paycheck of the employee before taxation. This means that the funds are tax-deferred until they are withdrawn during retirement. The amount that you may contribute to a plan annually is limited to a certain maximum pre-tax amount. Currently, the maximum is $17,500 as of 2013. These types of plans became popular when employers started to move away from the traditional defined benefit pension plans. Other alternative contribution pension plans include the 403(b) and the 401(a) plans, which offer higher annual limits than the 401(k).
The Internal Revenue Code that made these plans possible became law in 1978. The intention was to allow taxpayers to receive a break on their taxes by deferring a portion of their income. In 1980, benefits consultants examined this provision, which had mainly been obscure until that time, and estimated that it could be used as a method of creating simple, tax-advantaged ways for people to save for retirement.
Today, many companies offer such pension plans as part of the incentive package for working at that company. Normally, though, the employee must start making contributions before the employer matches it. If your company offers to match contributions to your plan, and this is something you would like to take advantage of, make sure that you are paying in enough funds to qualify for the maximum contributions.
Once you begin making contributions, it is a good idea to save as much as you can for retirement, starting as early in your working years as you possibly can. Many people wonder how much they should be saving. Financial experts tend to give different advice on this, however, the common suggestion is to save 15 percent of your salary.
It is important to remember that, when you are investing, the markets rise and fall from time to time. Many advisers suggest that you continue to remain invested, and keep making contributions, in order to gain greater benefits in the long term.
Employees who have been terminated can have their accounts closed if the balance is very low. This is often called a force-out provision. A force-out provision is only applicable for participants with balances less than $1,000.
Remember that most retirees draw their retirement income from several sources. These include Social Security, pension plans and other retirement accounts they may have. It can also include real estate and their own personal savings.
Contributions for the plan are deducted from the paycheck of the employee before taxation. This means that the funds are tax-deferred until they are withdrawn during retirement. The amount that you may contribute to a plan annually is limited to a certain maximum pre-tax amount. Currently, the maximum is $17,500 as of 2013. These types of plans became popular when employers started to move away from the traditional defined benefit pension plans. Other alternative contribution pension plans include the 403(b) and the 401(a) plans, which offer higher annual limits than the 401(k).
The Internal Revenue Code that made these plans possible became law in 1978. The intention was to allow taxpayers to receive a break on their taxes by deferring a portion of their income. In 1980, benefits consultants examined this provision, which had mainly been obscure until that time, and estimated that it could be used as a method of creating simple, tax-advantaged ways for people to save for retirement.
Today, many companies offer such pension plans as part of the incentive package for working at that company. Normally, though, the employee must start making contributions before the employer matches it. If your company offers to match contributions to your plan, and this is something you would like to take advantage of, make sure that you are paying in enough funds to qualify for the maximum contributions.
Once you begin making contributions, it is a good idea to save as much as you can for retirement, starting as early in your working years as you possibly can. Many people wonder how much they should be saving. Financial experts tend to give different advice on this, however, the common suggestion is to save 15 percent of your salary.
It is important to remember that, when you are investing, the markets rise and fall from time to time. Many advisers suggest that you continue to remain invested, and keep making contributions, in order to gain greater benefits in the long term.
Employees who have been terminated can have their accounts closed if the balance is very low. This is often called a force-out provision. A force-out provision is only applicable for participants with balances less than $1,000.
Remember that most retirees draw their retirement income from several sources. These include Social Security, pension plans and other retirement accounts they may have. It can also include real estate and their own personal savings.
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