利用雇主赞助的退休计划

As financial advisors, we are constantly being asked how best to save for retirement?  在大多数情况下，答案很简单，从雇主赞助的计划开始.  为什么?  Employer-sponsored qualified retirement plans such as 401(k)s are some of the most powerful retirement savings tools available. If your employer offers such a plan and you’re not participating in it, you should be. 一旦你参加了一个计划，试着充分利用它.

了解雇主资助的退休计划

Before you can take advantage of your employer’s plan, you need to understand how these plans work. Read everything you can about the plan and talk to your employer’s benefits officer. You can also talk to a financial planner, a tax advisor, and other professionals. 认识到许多雇主赞助的计划共有的关键特点:

• 你的雇主会自动从你的薪水中扣除你的供款. 你甚至可能永远不会想念这笔钱——眼不见，心不烦.
• 在法定限额内，你可以决定从工资中拿出多少来供款. And you can usually change your contribution amount on certain dates during the year or as needed.
• 与401 (k), 403(b), 457(b), SARSEPs, 简单的计划, 你在税前的基础上向该计划缴款. Your contributions come off the top of your salary before your employer withholds income taxes.
• 你的401 (k), 403(b), or 457(b) plan may let you make after-tax Roth contributions — there’s no up-front tax benefit but qualified distributions are entirely tax free.
• Your employer may match all or part of your contribution up to a certain level. You typically become vested in these employer dollars through years of service with the company.
• 你的资金会在计划中延税增长. You don’t pay taxes on investment earnings until you withdraw your money from the plan.
• You’ll pay income taxes (and possibly an early withdrawal penalty) if you withdraw your money from the plan.
• 你可以借一部分既得余额(最多50美元),以合理的利率.
• 你的债权人无法达到你的计划资金来偿还你的债务.

尽可能多地贡献

The more you can save for retirement, the better your chances of retiring comfortably. If you can, max out your contribution up to the legal limit (or plan limits, if lower). 如果你需要腾出钱来做这件事，试着削减某些开支.

为什么 put your retirement dollars in your employer’s plan instead of somewhere else? One reason is that your pre-tax contributions to your employer’s plan lower your taxable income for the year. This means you save money in taxes when you contribute to the plan — a big advantage if you’re in a high tax bracket. 例如, 如果你赚了100美元,每年10万美元,到401(k)计划, 你要为90美元付所得税,000美元而不是100美元,000. (Roth contributions don’t lower your current taxable income but qualified distributions of your contributions and earnings — that is, distributions made after you satisfy a five-year holding period and reach age 59½, 成为残疾人, 或者死——都是免税的.)

另一个原因是税收递延增长的力量. Your investment earnings compound year after year and aren’t taxable as long as they remain in the plan. 从长远来看, this gives you the opportunity to build an impressive sum in your employer’s plan. You should end up with a much larger balance than somebody who invests the same amount in taxable investments at the same rate of return.

例如, say you participate in your employer’s tax-deferred plan (Account A). 你还有一个应税投资账户(账户B). 每个账户的年利率为6%. You’re in the 24% tax bracket and contribute $5,000 to each account at the end of every year. 40年后，存入应税账户的钱将价值567,680美元. 在同一时期，递延纳税帐户将增加到820238美元. 即使是在从递延所得税账户中扣除税款之后, 投资者仍然会得到623美元,381. (Note: This example is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent a specific investment.)

捕捉完整的雇主匹配

如果你不能最大化你的401(k)或其他计划, you should at least try to contribute up to the limit your employer will match. Employer contributions are basically free money once you’re vested in them (check with your employer to find out when vesting happens). 通过抓住你雇主匹配的全部好处, 你会惊讶于你的平衡增长得有多快. 如果你不好好利用雇主的慷慨, 你可能会错过一笔可观的投资回报.

例如, you earn $30,000 a year and work for an employer that has a matching 401(k) plan. 匹配范围是1美元的50%到你工资的6%. 每年, 你拿出工资的6%(1美元),800) to the plan and receive a matching contribution of $900 from your employer.

仔细评估你的投资选择

Most employer-sponsored plans give you a selection of mutual funds or other investments to choose from. 慎重选择. The right investment mix for your employer’s plan could be one of your keys to a comfortable retirement. 这是因为从长远来看, 不同的回报率会对你的余额产生很大的影响.

注意:在投资共同基金之前, 仔细考虑投资目标, 风险, 指控, 以及基金的费用. This information can be found in the prospectus, which can be obtained from the fund. 投资前仔细阅读.

研究一下可供你选择的投资. 他们的长期表现如何? 他们会给你带来多大的风险? 哪一种最适合退休这样的长期目标? You may also want to get advice from a financial professional (either your own, 或者通过你的计划提供). He or she can help you pick the right investments based on your personal goals, 你对风险的态度, 你离退休还有多久, 还有其他因素. Your financial professional can also help you coordinate your plan investments with your overall investment portfolio.

当你离开雇主时，要知道你的选择

当你离开你的工作, your vested balance in your former employer’s retirement plan is yours to keep. 在这一点上，您有几个选择，包括:

• 取一次总分布. 在选择此选项之前, consider that you’ll pay income taxes and possibly a penalty on the amount you withdraw. 此外，你也放弃了持续的延税增长潜力.
• 把你的钱留在旧计划里，增加递延税. (如果你的余额少于5美元，你的旧计划可能不允许这样做,000, 或者你已经达到了该计划的正常退休年龄——通常是65岁.) This may be a good idea if you’re happy with the plan’s investments or you need time to decide what to do with your money.
• Rolling your funds over to an IRA or a new employer’s plan (if the plan accepts rollovers). This may also be an appropriate move because there will be no income taxes or penalties if you do the rollover properly (your old plan will withhold 20% for income taxes if you receive the funds before rolling them over, and you’ll need to make up this amount out of pocket when investing in the new plan or IRA). 此外，你的资金还可能继续受益于递延税收的增长.

最后, 您有几个选项可供选择 为退休储蓄.  More often than not, starting with your employer-sponsored plan is a good starting point.

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