Ideas For Better Ways To Invest 401K Money

By Gregory Miller


Reaching retirement age is the part of life that people enjoy and look forward to. The plans that need to be made in order for this to be a time of success are many. The biggest plan that should be made as early as possible is regarding financial security. The are several suggestions for better ways to invest 401K funds so that you can reach your goal and have a nice secure retirement.

The first piece of advice that is always given is that a person should start investing as early as possible in life. It can even be a tiny amount to start with. Studies and calculations show that if you start with a small amount before your thirties, you'll have more money available when you retire than if you start with a larger amount in your thirties and forties.

Matching funds from employers is basically free money. Many employers will contribute up to a certain percentage of your salary. The result is free money because if you contribute up to the amount they will match, you are doubling the contribution. For example, if you put in three percent, and your employer will match up to three percent, then you have essentially contributed a total of six percent of your salary towards your retirement.

Using compound interest to your advantage funds your retirement. The way it works is in year one, interest is paid based on the amount in your fund. The second year, the interest is paid based on the what was there before, plus the interest that you got from year one. Each year, the interest from the previous years helps grow the fund by gaining more interest.

Evaluate your risk tolerance when investing. Many different plans have different growth rates. The rates are based on risk factors. The risk is that if the stock market goes down, your fund might lose money and therefore not provide growth. However, if the market goes up, the investment of the fund is in higher yielding stock that provides a higher payout. There are funds that range in little to no risk all the way up to high risk. Each type of risk offers growth based on the risk factors. Low risk offers smaller gains. High risk offers higher gains.

Paying taxes now or later is a big issue. The tax laws change constantly and no one really knows what the rates will be when they retire. The Roth IRA is a fund that pays taxes on gains earned as you go. This means when you retire, you won't have to pay any taxes on your retirement money. Other IRAs do not pay them up front and you will have to pay when you retire. The advantage here is having more money stay in the funds to grow while you wait for retirement.

Never ever pull money out of your retirement. This advice is critical. Even taking a loan from the fund can prove difficult to repay in time to avoid penalties. There are usually severe penalties to removing or closing your fund before your retirement age. This also means the money won't be there when you're ready to retire.

Reaching those golden years of retirement is a big goal and should be well funded. Taking the time to put money aside early and letting it grow over the years is a great way to get to that goal without having to stress. Leave the money alone until you're ready for it and you should really be able to enjoy your retirement.




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