You may have heard some people tell you to invest in 401k and others tell you not to. Figuring this out for yourself can be challenging when you have a lot of things going on at once. Learning how 401k works can help with your decision, but so can learning about alternative ways to retire. However, if you find yourself falling into bankruptcy, consider contacting a Tullahoma bankruptcy attorney for guidance.
HOW DOES 401K WORK?
You might be wondering what 401k really means. Many people know that 401k is a way to build retirement savings to live off of when you stop working, but not everyone knows how this works. A 401k plan is built up by a percentage taken out of each of your pay periods.
Several jobs offer this plan to employees and will tell if they do or do not. If your employer offers 401k, your employer must put in those 401k contributions into your account. This must be done within 15 days of the end of the month that the percentage was taken from your pay period.
Some employers give you options on how much you can contribute to your 401k. This depends on what you feel comfortable with in terms of how much you want to be taken out of your paycheck. You can request your employer to increase the percentage taken from your pay periods if you think you can afford it.
Using an advanced 401k calculator can help you figure out how much the percentage you choose will contribute to your retirement savings. You can plug in your income, age, and percentage to be taken out and the calculator will tell you the:
- Annual rate of return in percentage
- Your total retirement savings after the designated number of years
You can also put in the age you plan to retire, and the calculator will tell you the number of years between now and then this will take. This will tell you how much money you will have to retire by that age.
OTHER OPTIONS FOR RETIREMENT
If you find that 401k is not for you, there are other options for retirement. The main four ways to retire are:
- Saving for retirement yourself
- Civil service retirement
- Private pension benefits
- Social security retirement benefits
You can save for retirement yourself, but this requires a lot of careful planning to make sure you are setting yourself up for success. Civil service retirement is offered to people who worked for the federal government. Private pension benefits are something you may want to ask your employer about if 401k is not provided.
Lastly, social security retirement benefits are offered for anyone age 62 or older. Full benefits are provided depending on your full retirement age which varies based on what year you were born.
BANKRUPTCY ATTORNEY IN TULLAHOMA, TN
Dealing with bankruptcy can be one of the most stressful events of your life. Feel free to contact us at Tom Bible Law today by dialing (423) 690-7712 for a consultation. Our team of Tennessee bankruptcy lawyers can help you go through the process of bankruptcy. You can find us in the Tennessee cities of Chattanooga and Tullahoma.