Anonymous wrote:OP here, I am way behind and I do acknowledge that. I have been cash flowing about $4000 per month for my kids college education that last few years. I was planning to slap most of that right into the 401k and pay off debt as well. So now, I am just not sure what to do with that money. I do not have a brokerage account. I have another 401k for a PT job I have but I don't make enough to increase my contribution in any meaningful way.
The employer is not shutting down, I don't believe.
So... what I'm thinking is that I will roll my one 401k into the other. They are both with Vanguard so that will be easy and I've been happy with them. Then I open an IRA, my goal was to sock away money pre-tax as I have 1099 work so I'd like to lower my tax burden. I know that I will have a much lower contribution limit to an IRA and I believe that it will likely not be able to be tax exempt, if my google research is correct. Would you all suggest a brokerage account for the rest? Should I do a Roth IRA if I'm not going to get a tax reduction?
confused.
Anonymous wrote:If your spouse makes more than $228,000 you can't contribute to an IRA and get a deduction, even if your employer doesn't offer a 401k.
https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/2023-ira-deduction-limits-effect-of-modified-agi-on-deduction-if-you-are-not-covered-by-a-retirement-plan-at-work
I'd do a Roth, and if your income is too high for a Roth, I'd max out your spouses retirement and then do a brokerage account since it offers so much flexibility. (Capital gains taxes are much lower than income taxes, and if you are forced into early retirement you can access the money without penalty. Also, no RMDs.)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP here, I am way behind and I do acknowledge that. I have been cash flowing about $4000 per month for my kids college education that last few years. I was planning to slap most of that right into the 401k and pay off debt as well. So now, I am just not sure what to do with that money. I do not have a brokerage account. I have another 401k for a PT job I have but I don't make enough to increase my contribution in any meaningful way.
The employer is not shutting down, I don't believe.
So... what I'm thinking is that I will roll my one 401k into the other. They are both with Vanguard so that will be easy and I've been happy with them. Then I open an IRA, my goal was to sock away money pre-tax as I have 1099 work so I'd like to lower my tax burden. I know that I will have a much lower contribution limit to an IRA and I believe that it will likely not be able to be tax exempt, if my google research is correct. Would you all suggest a brokerage account for the rest? Should I do a Roth IRA if I'm not going to get a tax reduction?
confused.
So you have the PT job, can you contribute the whole salary of that? Also are you contributing Roth or pretax?
You can contribute $7k to an IRA, not sure what happens to that limit when you turn 50 but I’ve heard of catch up contributions so maybe someone else knows.
Anonymous wrote:OP here, I am way behind and I do acknowledge that. I have been cash flowing about $4000 per month for my kids college education that last few years. I was planning to slap most of that right into the 401k and pay off debt as well. So now, I am just not sure what to do with that money. I do not have a brokerage account. I have another 401k for a PT job I have but I don't make enough to increase my contribution in any meaningful way.
The employer is not shutting down, I don't believe.
So... what I'm thinking is that I will roll my one 401k into the other. They are both with Vanguard so that will be easy and I've been happy with them. Then I open an IRA, my goal was to sock away money pre-tax as I have 1099 work so I'd like to lower my tax burden. I know that I will have a much lower contribution limit to an IRA and I believe that it will likely not be able to be tax exempt, if my google research is correct. Would you all suggest a brokerage account for the rest? Should I do a Roth IRA if I'm not going to get a tax reduction?
confused.