Table of Contents
People earn to have a better lifestyle and a comfortable future. By comfortable future, we mean comfortable old age. When you retire, you do not work, and hence you have no income. Your life depends upon the money you have saved during your young age. You keep this money so that you do not have to struggle when you are old and retired.Â
A way of saving funds for retirement is 401k. Read this article to know what 401k is, how you can contribute to it and invest in it, how it grows, and what happens if you stop contributing to your 401k.
Introduction to 401kÂ
401k is a kind of pension account for your retirement. It is an account that is created at the time you get employed. Your employer will put some money from your salary towards this account, and your employer will add some. The employer’s contribution is a percentage of the amount contributed by you.Â
Types of 401k Plans
There are two types of 401k plans, classified based on taxation.
- Roth 401k Plan: in this plan, your funds are taxed when they are added to your 401k account. When you finally withdraw funds from your retirement plan, it will all be yours, and no tax will be charged.
- Traditional 401k Plan: Opposite to the Roth plan, in a standard 401k plan, your funds are taxed at the time of withdrawal.Â
The employee or the 401k plan holder has to decide which plan they want to choose. It generally depends on the tax bracket you expect after you retire. The Roth plan would be beneficial for the higher tax bracket, while for the lower tax bracket, the traditional method is best suitable.Â
Where To Invest Your 401k Funds?
Employers generally give their employees options on how they want to invest their 401k funds. The investment helps in reducing the risk of the loss of these funds. The standard options that employees get for the acquisition of funds are :
- Target-Date Funds- Target funds involve a mixed ratio of safe and risky investments depending upon the time left for your retirement. If you are not far from your retirement, your investment will be safer. However, if there is a long time left to your retirement, the investment will be riskier.Â
- Mutual Funds- Mutual Funds are pooled funds of investors, which are invested in different securities like shares and bonds, forming a portfolio. You can invest your 401k funds in a percentage of this portfolio.
The Growth of 401k
 There are a few factors that determine the growth of your 401k funds. These are:
- Time left for your retirement.
- Your age.
- Type of assets in which your 401k funds are invested.
All these above factors are the prime factors in the growth of your 401k funds. Let’s look at how these factors affect your retirement funds.Â
For example, you start your 401k plan in your mid-20s, this means you have more than 30 years for your retirement, and you can take risks with your investment. With higher risks comes higher returns. However, the risk of losing is also implied. Stocks are a better option for long-term investment. With enough time until your retirement, you will still have enough time to regain the retirement funds if anything goes wrong with your investment.
However, it is advisable not to take risks if you are near your retirement, for example, 5 to 8 years. If you lose your funds, you will not have enough time to retrieve them. The risk-free investment will increase rather slowly, but it will not decrease.Â
The risky investment portfolios have a larger ratio of stocks than bonds. As the time of retirement approaches, your fund’s manager will adjust your investment by reducing stocks and adding more bonds.Â
There is another way of increasing the value of your 401k funds faster, that is, by compounding. Many investors use this strategy to earn higher interest. Compounding means making interest on interest. For compounding your 401k funds, you can reinvest any gains on your investments, like dividends or price appreciation. This will increase the investment as well as the income from it. Hence, the growth of your 401k funds.
How much will my 401k grow if I stop contributing?
If you stop contributing, your 401K will grow only if you leave it in your current retirement account or transfer it to a new retirement account. However, If you withdraw your funds, they can not grow, and you may delay your retirement.
Â
Can you stop 401k contributions?
Yes, you can stop the 401K contribution, and your 401K will continue to grow as long as you leave it in your current retirement account or transfer it to a new retirement account. However, If you withdraw your funds, they can not grow, and you may delay your retirement.
Generally, the contribution to 401k funds stops after an employee stops working for the company managing their funds. If you are not working with them, it is implied that there will be no contribution made to that account. However, it does not mean that your funds will not grow as long as they remain in the account.
If you want to start a new 401k plan with your new employer and let the last remain as it is. However, you can only leave the funds in your old 401k account if they are equivalent to or above $5,000. Otherwise, your previous employer will either transfer it to your new account or pay it to you through a check. You can also transfer the funds from the 401k account with your previous employer to your new employer.Â
In either case, your funds should remain in your retirement account to grow. If you withdraw your funds and do not put them towards another retirement plan, there will be no growth, and hence you will end up having no funds for your requirements. Depending upon the type of your 401k account, portfolio investment, or savings account, your funds will grow. Funds in savings accounts grow as per the interest rate, while in portfolio investment, they grow as per the market.Â
Points To RememberÂ
There are a few points that one must remember when they stop contributing to their 401k plan or transfer it to a new account.
- No funds in your retirement account mean no growth of the funds. Therefore, instead of withdrawing the funds, put them on another retirement plan.
- When transferring the funds to a new 401k account, process it through automatic transfer and not by withdrawing. This will help you save taxes.
- Many companies have restrictions on the annual contribution of funds to 401k plans. Automatic transfers will help you avoid such restrictions.
Books To Read on 401k Investment.
Your company is doing its part by managing your 401k funds. You can also work towards growing your 401k funds by learning more about it. The following is a list of books that will help you create a successful 401k plan.
- ‘How Much Money Do I Need? Uncommon Financial Planning Wisdom for a Stress-Free Retirement by Todd Tressider
You may know how you can grow your funds, but many find themselves in a situation where they don’t know how much money they should add to their funds. This book will help you clear that confusion.Â
- IRAs, 401(k)s and Other Retirement Plans: Strategies for Taking Your Money Out.
This book helps you manage your 401k funds after starting your retirement plans. It helps you know how you can withdraw your funds or access them.Â
- Retirement Plan For Dummies
If you have no idea how you should plan your retirement funds, this book could be a great start to gaining some knowledge. You will get to know about many resources through which you can prepare a successful retirement plan.Â
- ‘Five Years Before You Retire, Updated Edition: Retirement Planning When You Need it The Most’ by Emily Guy Birken
There is nothing like running ‘out of time.’ You can always prepare a retirement plan, even if you are just five years behind the beginning of your retirement. This book helps you formulate a better 401k plan with less time and less money.Â
When do I have to stop contributing to my 401k?
It would help if you stopped contributing to your 401k when you stopped working. You will be able to continue stashing cash in an individual retirement account after you as a worker turn age 70½ based on a provision in the Secure Act.
Generally, you can start taking withdrawals from your IRA, SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA, or retirement plan account when you reach age 72 (70 ½ if you go 70 ½ before January 1, 2020).
Conclusion
No contribution to your 401k plan does not mean it will not grow. The growth will be persistent as long as funds are in your account. The choice is yours if you transfer your funds to your new employer or let it stay with your previous employer.
You must make sure about your 401k plan a few things. Like investing your funds according to the time remaining for retirement, types of investments in your portfolio, and not withdrawing the 401k funds. Just start a 401k plan, give it some years, and you can have a comfortable retirement period.Â
Â
