September 11, 2007

Retirement Savings When You Change Jobs - Take It or Leave It

Tip! Plan out your retirement. Fourth, you’re now ready to plan out your retirement.

When you change jobs, what do you do with the money you have accumulated in you company retirement plan? Tthe average American will have to answer that critical question eight times during a 40-year career. While retirement plan assets are typically as mobile as the workers themselves, nearly 60% of people who change jobs choose to take a cash distribution, despite the drawbacks.

Taxes - Now or Later?

A cash distribution may trigger a 20% federal withholding tax, as well as a 10% tax penalty if you are younger than 59 ?. It will also mean you’ll no longer enjoy the potential benefits of tax deferral that a qualified retirement plan offers. Even small retirement plan contributions may help you pursue large financial goals when earnings are allowed to compound tax deferred over time. You want to maintain your tax-deferred status as long as possible to maximize your gains.

Tip! Join a Cause ? Retirement does not mean that you are worthless. To derive a feeling of self worth and fulfillment, commit yourself to a worthy cause that you truly believe in.

Leave the money in your former employer’s plan.

Your former employer is required to allow you to leave the money where it is, if the balance exceeds $5,000. You can no longer contribute to the account, but you can still decide how the existing assets are invested.

Roll the money into an IRA.

By rolling the money directly into an individual retirement account (IRA), you’ll avoid taxes that you’d incur if you took a cash distribution, plus you are able to enjoy the benefits of tax deferral. An IRA also has greater investment flexibility because unlike a company retirement plan, an IRA gives you the freedom to select mutual funds and other securities that best suit your needs.

Roll the money into your new employer’s plan.

By rolling the money directly into your new plan, you’ll avoid taxes that could eat away at a cash distribution. It’ll also simplify your investment paperwork since you’ll only have one set of investments to monitor. Even if you’re not immediately eligible to contribute to the plan at your new job, you may still be able to roll the money over right away.

Tip! Make retirement a priority ? women are naturally caregivers, which often translates to putting everyone else’s needs in front of your own. You need to make saving for your retirement a priority, even when you’re not in the work force.

Make a Choice That Fits Your Goals.
If you plan to change jobs, don’t take the money and run. Meet with your investment representative to explore alternatives and consider the potential impact on your long-term financial goals.

Roger Sorensen

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Inactivity Can Be Depressing

Have you heard the expression, an idle mind is the Devil0s workshop? There is a lot of truth to this. Our minds are powerful and the things you think about can make or break your attitude towards life. A good example of this is the person who looks forward to retirement, but get depressed months afterwards and returns to work. One would think this would be the best time of your life having the ultimate flexible schedule. Unfortunately it doesn0t always work out this way.
Another example is the college student who looks forward to having the summer off, but then spends most of the time at home having trouble getting out of bed or being chronically irritable.
Not everyone has trouble with downtime, but some people need more stimulation than others. In fact, we are increasingly becoming accustomed to continuous mental stimulation with the availability of portable entertainment devices such as ipods, etc.
But even these devices aren0t enough, they0re only fillers. We still need a major purpose to keep us occupied. For many people this purpose is their job, school, child care, etc.
If you are in a position where you have lost your major purpose 0 that is the thing that […]

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Incorporate My Business Why?

Incorporating your businesses is the process of converting a business into a corporation. Incorporating your business means that your business is now finally a separate individual in the context of the governing laws of the land. After successfully incorporating your business, you will be allowed to use the corporate qualifier Inc. after the name of your company.
Here are some of the reasons why you should consider incorporating your business.
1. The most important benefit of incorporating your business is that your personal assets are now separate as your business is now a separate entity for the law. This means your business is responsible for its own debts and credits. Unlike the sole proprietorship, you will not be personally held responsible for any loans taken by the company, nor will you remain personally liable for any illicit activity going on in your company’s name.
2. By incorporating your business, you can easily sell it or transfer to any other person without a lot of paperwork and other bureaucratic complexities. If you are incorporating your business in the state of Delaware, you will not be needed to do any filing of change of ownership.
3. After incorporating your business, you are now eligible […]

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