What IRA Should I Roll My 401k Into?
Many white-collar workers switch jobs frequently, leaving them with multiple retirement accounts that need consolidating into one IRA to lower fees and make things simpler.
An indirect transfer is also an ideal method for investing your funds, with more flexibility over how they are managed and invested.
Traditional IRA
A traditional IRA allows you to invest your pre-tax money tax-deferred and pay no taxes until withdrawal at retirement age. It’s an effective way to prepare for future expenses in retirement.
Consider rolling your 401k into an IRA as another advantage of doing so; you’ll gain access to more investments, including mutual funds, stocks and ETFs – with reduced fees associated with retail investing for an IRA investor.
If you want to roll over your 401k into an IRA, it is crucial that you understand how it works in order to avoid any potential pitfalls. NerdWallet writers are subject matter experts who rely on primary sources and rigorous research when producing articles which help readers make smarter financial decisions. Our editorial standards can be found here and this content produced by NerdWallet is independent and trusted source of financial advice, not accepting advertising or sponsorship for this content.
Roth IRA
Selecting an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) can be a major decision with many potential advantages, including consolidating retirement savings, lower fees and access to a range of investment options. But before making this choice, there are certain things you should take into consideration first.
Henderson advises to consider both where you currently stand financially and your anticipated tax bracket in the future when selecting an IRA vehicle to fund. A Roth IRA might make sense since these funds come after tax has been taken out.
When selecting an IRA provider, be sure to utilize a direct rollover. This ensures that your former employer’s plan administrator sends money directly into your new account without incurring unexpected taxes or penalties. When comparing providers, pay attention to both investment and administrative fees when comparing providers; an independent financial advisor like SmartVestor Pro may be helpful here – they charge fees for their services!
SEP IRA
If you operate as a sole proprietor, partner in a small partnership, or employ a small team of workers, a Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Account (SEP IRA) could be the ideal retirement solution for you. These accounts allow employers to make tax-deductible contributions on behalf of eligible workers ranging between 0%-25% of compensation annually.
An SEP IRA is quick and simple to set up; all it requires is one IRS form and offers higher contribution limits than traditional and Roth IRAs – even more than what can be put in a solo 401(k).
Contrary to 401(k), SEP IRA distributions can be taken at any time without incurring taxes; however, withdrawals are still taxable and should be handled accordingly. You can avoid taxes by rolling the funds over into another account through either trustee-to-trustee transfer or 60 day rollover; alternatively you could convert to either traditional IRA or Roth IRA for future investment opportunities.
SIMPLE IRA
A SIMPLE IRA can be an attractive option for smaller businesses. With minimal administrative burden and no tax filing requirement, this plan offers less costly solutions than its traditional 401(k) counterpart.
Employers with SIMPLE IRAs have the flexibility of matching employee contributions up to 3% of salary or making a 2% nonelective contribution, giving employees access to an array of investments including stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds and CDs.
However, you should carefully consider all factors when deciding to select a SIMPLE IRA as the retirement solution for your small business. A major downside of choosing a SIMPLE IRA is its inability to accommodate vesting schedules to encourage retention – so if retaining top talent is an important goal of yours, 401(k) might be more suitable. Furthermore, certain brokerages charge back-end loads (essentially sales commissions) on employees’ investments which could significantly eat away at retirement savings over time.
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