This retirement account is so new and unique that you may not have heard of it. For additional reasons, I describe in my home study course, corporate insiders may not want to offer it to corporate employees. This is because some executives only consider their employees canon fodder.
The Roth 401(k) was created when the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 was passed. There is a provision in the law that allows employers to offer their employees the opportunity to make Roth 401(k) deferrals. Nobody paid much attention, since the new provisions applied only to tax years beginning after 2005, but now 2006 is almost here, and people are waking up.
Deductible IRAs and regular 401(k) plans work well for those taxpayers who expect their marginal tax rate to decrease during retirement because they will be making less money. This means that you're waiting until you retire to pay taxes on dollars you make today at a higher marginal tax rates. You pay on all that money during retirement when your marginal tax rate is less.
Some taxpayers who are smart investors actually expect their marginal tax rate to either remain the same or actually increase when they retire because they are a lot wealthier from their stock investments. They also want to spend and have fun since they taught their kids well how to fend for themselves. There are many investors out there that would certainly fall into this category, even if they don't know it quite yet from investing smart in the stock market as I teach in my home study course.
For those taxpayers who are going to be worth a boatload of money down the road, the Roth IRA used to be the absolute king. Like You pay taxes today when you aren't worth as much but get to take it out and go on world cruises and the like after you retire (assuming certain restrictions are met). And that's just "neater than peanut butter" for those taxpayers who expect to get whacked by the IRS on taxes when they retire. But don't forget that the nasty drawback to the Roth IRA for many people is the fact that contributions can't be made if income is above certain limitations.
For the Roth 401(k), this is longer the case. Beginning in 2006, a 401(k) plan may allow employees to designate some or all of their elective contributions as Roth contributions. Different from regular 401(k) contributions, which are excluded from the employee's taxable income, any amount designated as a Roth 401(k) contribution would be included as taxable income to the employee. But when you take cash out of your Roth 401(k) contributions at retirement it is completely free from federal tax. Also, unlike regular contributions, Roth 401(k) contributions are allowable regardless of your income level. So, if you are pulling down the big bucks this allows you to have the glorious benefits of the Roth IRA account I told before that you couldn't put money into because of your high income.
Your employer is going to kick up the administration fees but if you understand the great benefits you probably won't mind. In order to make this Roth 401(k) thing happen, the company that administers your regular 401(k) plan will have to perform additional accounting. The Roth 401(k), and the associated earnings, will have to be maintained in a separate account from your regular 401(k) monies. Additionally, the administrator will be required to separately to separate out, on a reasonable and consistent basis, gains and losses between the designated Roth contribution account and other accounts under the plan. Because of this increased accounting requirement, I guarantee that they are going to pass on these increased fees to you to administer these types of plans.
One of the drawbacks to the Roth 401(k) plan is that no employer matching contributions or plan forfeitures can be allocated to the Roth contribution account. That means that you won't get any matching and won't be able to roll over dough from your regular 401(k). If you study my course carefully you will understand why you probably won't care.
Here are some other notes relative to the new Roth 401(k) account:
? Section 403(b) Plans are eligible. While the new law specifically refers to 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans are also a go.
? Plans must be amended. Before accepting Roth contributions, 401(k) and 403(b) plans must be amended to allow for separate tracking of the Roth contributions. Again, this will be an additional expense to the employer that they will pass on to you.
? Plan changes are voluntary for the employer. There is nothing in the law that requires employers to change their 401(k) or 403(b) plans to allow for the Roth contribution. If this is the case with your employer, there is essentially nothing that you can do about it. It simply means that you will not be allowed the benefits of a Roth 401(k) with that employer. After you study my course you will understand why the executives up top may not want you to have a Roth 401(k).
? This is for a limited time only. Roth 401(k) plans are scheduled to expire at the end of 2010. Therefore, after 2010, Roth contributions could remain in the plan, but no new Roth contributions could be made after that time. Obviously, Congress could extend these provisions at some time in the future. This is likely should these plans become popular and the managing insiders let their corporations have the plan.
So it's not too soon to start hammering your corporate employer about this plan for 2006. You can see if your employer is interested in making the plan amendments. It's likely that the major corporations will be more interested in adding the Roth provision to their 401(k) plans than smaller corporations or businesses because of the cost but again it depends on where your employer's executive inside interests are aligned. You'll want to check with your employers to find out where they stand on the Roth 401(k) and how likely it might be that they will make the appropriate adoptions necessary to implement the plan.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Scott Brown, Ph.D., a.k.a. "The Wallet Doctor", is a successful futures trader, real estate investor, and stock investor. Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. in finance from the University of South Carolina. His 1998 articles in Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities were prophetic in predicting an impending stock market crash. He has helped many people become profitable investors by teaching them to look out over many years to spot stocks that are low and primed for rise in the new bull market. His second article met with approval by Dr. Bob Shiller of Yale University. Dr. Shiller is the economist that Alan Greenspan most highly regards who coined the term "Irrational Exuberance." In 1998 he shouted to the world to "get out" of the stock market but now he is shouting to everyone that it is time to "get in!" The Wallet Doctor is not only sought after for investment advice and coaching in stock investing but also in futures trading and real estate investing.
Visit Dr. Brown's site at http://www.bonanzabase.com or sign up for his investment tips at http://www.bonanzabase.com
whole house cleaning Deerfield ..There is perhaps no more important decision than to take... Read More
I have a good friend who works in an area... Read More
Well, the New Year is around the corner and so... Read More
What if I told you that reading a book would... Read More
Not Enough Money?I believe that most people haven't got enough... Read More
While you need to have a lot of positive-thought and... Read More
No matter what markets you serve; what products you sell;... Read More
Uncle Sam and his band of merry-men, better known as... Read More
To lose weight in the 80's, we went on low-calorie... Read More
Remember the bloodied face of Randall "Tex" Cobb?He was a... Read More
Money is probably the most challenging thing for many people... Read More
A surprising number of readers want to know "Can a... Read More
Results from a new tool developed by UK based firm,... Read More
Is it hard to get rich? If you're young, not... Read More
I counsel a LOT of people about money. I see... Read More
Feng shui coins can allow you, among other things, to... Read More
Many people assume that the offshore world is accessible only... Read More
Have you ever asked yourself what your highest income producing... Read More
Have you stopped to realize that although you go... Read More
"Ooooooh," you may say, "I could NEVER be good at... Read More
Yesterday we learned that 74% of all wealth is created... Read More
There are only 2 ways to grow your wealth -... Read More
This retirement account is so new and unique that you... Read More
U.S. Supreme Justice Louis D. Brandeis"I live in Alexandria Virginia.... Read More
Now is a great time to make it a habit... Read More
home cleaning services Des Plaines ..No matter what income level you are currently at, generating... Read More
Financial freedom is the power to do what you will... Read More
Have you seen a picture of the Parthenon in Athens,... Read More
In my last article on Creating Residual Income I mentioned... Read More
Have you stopped to realize that although you go... Read More
Feel like a lemming lately? Ready to follow the crowd... Read More
The word 'diversity' is a unique one. It can represent... Read More
Let's begin easing you out of the pits. I mean,... Read More
There are only 2 ways to grow your wealth -... Read More
When young men ask me how to succeed, I tell... Read More
"Join our program and retire in 3 months..." yeah, right.We... Read More
Masters degree not required...just a little common sense, a $5.00... Read More
Recently I was reading a book called The Millionaire Mind.... Read More
There are few things in life that are more stressful... Read More
As you sit in traffic, inching along between irate drivers,... Read More
An ellipsis to your success is hidden in the word... Read More
It is sometimes pitful how many projects are never born... Read More
The idle are a peculiar kind of dead that cannot... Read More
Many people have a false understanding of what it actually... Read More
Vacation season is upon us and it can be tempting... Read More
Feng shui coins can allow you, among other things, to... Read More
Do you like so many others feel, that even if... Read More
I have given many prosperity lectures over the years and,... Read More
You've been thinking that your financial life could probably be... Read More
Here's the truth: I have read hundreds and hundreds of... Read More
Wealth Building |