The Most Popular 401k Rollover Options?

Employees with a 401k have several options available when leaving an employer. Some individuals choose to leave the plan in place because of the high returns or other benefits. Others decide to cash the plan out and receive the funds in a single large payment although nearly half of the savings could be absorbed by taxes. The final option is to transfer the savings to a new account and continue saving for retirement. This is called a rollover. A 401k can be rolled over into another 401k, an individual retirement account (IRA) or a Roth IRA. Each has different advantages and drawbacks.

Employees who choose to rollover an existing 401k plan into the 401k plan of the new employer will not gain many benefits. The only drawback for this option is that the new 401k plan might not have the same investment options or management style as the previous plan. The reasons that many financial experts advise against this relatively safe option is that it misses the benefits that could be gained by rolling the money into another type of account. One exception is if the new 401k plan has perks or other benefits that exceed what the previous employer was offering.

The most popular option is a 401k rollover into an IRA. IRA plans are also tax-free savings accounts. They provide a more diverse range of investment options. IRAs are much more flexible when it comes to distribution amounts. An IRA can be passed down as part of an estate. The money in the account is also protected from creditors. Some individuals choose not to rollover the 401k into an IRA because of changes in tax brackets and other financial issues that make it easier to withdraw all of the money or to leave the money in the current 401k account.

The final option is to rollover the 401k into a Roth IRA. This option is not available to everyone because Roth IRAs are only accessible to individuals who are below a certain income level. A Roth IRA provides the same flexible investment options as an IRA but without the require distributions because of age. The money in a Roth IRA is not taxed when it is withdrawn. The main disadvantage of rolling the money over into a Roth IRA is that taxes will have to be paid on the funds. All future contributions to the Roth IRA are post-tax deposits.