what is a good 401k match reddit

From some of the 401k posts, I feel like everyone here seems to be getting a 100% match. i’m not a fan of the layers of comlication so for my purpose and simplicity i say they match ~4%. Typically you pay a percentage of each paycheck into your 401k, and most employers will match what you put in up to a certain percentage (usually 2-6% of your paycheck). Just because they have no match doesn't mean you shouldn't save in a 401k. Very few or very diverse investment options. This is a good topic especially for folks that are aggressively saving for retirement. So, statistically, your plan may be on the lower side of generous. However, the formulas themselves have all been some partial x % up to max total of y %. What happens if the employer goes bankrupt? By Age 50 This is a good checkpoint for your financial future. Explain Like I'm Five is the best forum and archive on the internet for layperson-friendly explanations. Even if your employer doesn’t offer a 401(k) match, you still need to save for retirement. It isn't great...but it is still free money. You're doing better than some of us. I’m 30 and earn about $70,000 a year. ", http://www.401khelpcenter.com/benchmarking.html#.V2V08_krKuU, 0-3 years: 50% match up to 6% 3-5 years: 75% match up to 6% 5+ years: 100% match up to 6%. It's free money. I max out my 401(k) contributions at 4%. (Page 15). Depends on how competitive your industry is. The 401(k) is one of the most popular retirement plans out there, and a big reason is that companies often offer matching contributions if employees contribute money to their accounts. A Center for Retirement Research study of tax data found that for every dollar an employer contributes to your 401k match, they pay 90 cents less salary to men and 99 cents less to women on average. (Page 15), Of employers who match contributions, 75% of employers have a "single-tier" match, like your employer's plan. With a 401(k), if your employer goes down in flames, you should still get to keep your 401(k) account, which should be diversified (I think). Details of 401(k) offered: According to Amazon's website, the company offers a 401(k) savings plan with a company match in addition to a company-paid life and accident coverage plan. Who 'owns' the savings account? I've seen a bunch of other variations too. 2. 2b) You must choose to invest this money in any of a limited selection of securities, chosen by your plan administrator with the input of your employer. Press J to jump to the feed. The Details: “Save for retirement through our 401(k) Plan with pre-tax or Roth contributions,” Southwest writes on its website. Almost every post, including yours, says something about "employers matching." If I don't match, they just profit more off my rate. Depending on your plan, you can typically withdraw from your 401k without any penalty if it's for an FHA loan. I’m not sure if the purpose is to keep employees around, or just to not spend any money, but in most 401(k) plans, you don’t get vested in your employer matches in full until 5 years on the job. An exception to this is for first-time home buyers. The matching funds are free money, so it is a very good idea to take that money off the table. One thing i think is seldom articulated when discussing percent match is if the match is a percentage of your contribution or of your eligible salary. TLDR; It's important to consider total compensation (salary + benefits) for similar work rather than just looking for an average %. If you want to save more than the limit, which is $5,000 if you are under 50 and $6,000 if you are over 50, then put the extra in your 401k. You should probably contribute as much as possible to the 401K to take advantage of a company match. Take Safeway for example, no 401k match, and as a result I don't have a 401k with them. I split my 401(k) contributions 50/50 between a standard and a Roth. However, it does matter to you. Contribution types is also a thing to consider in a 401 (K) plan. The average company contribution in 401k plans is 2.7% of pay. Join our community, read the PF Wiki, and get on top of your finances! Forty-three (43) percent of employees said the company match was the primary reason they participate in the plan. they contribute 100% on the first 2% of my salary and then 50% of the next 4%. Once he is able to withdraw without any penalties we are planning to move any of the money we’ve accumulated there into an IUL. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. After that it really depends on the options in the 401k. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Are 401(k)s still a good option? My employer matches dollar for dollar up to 4%. a great employee benefit that can help employers attract and retain top talent Yours calculates out to 1.75% at the full match. If you're going through the typical steps (emergency fund, 401k to match, pay off debts, max IRA, 401k to max), you're not skipping the second step. At various jobs I've had, taking advantage of the full match, the total company contributions calculate out to an equal match of anywhere from 1% to 3.5%. You would be surprised how many people only put in 2%, if any when their employer has 100% match up to, say 6%. In previous years it was voluntary, but they recently started putting all new employees in at 2% automatically. The Center for Retirement Research did a study based on tax data and showed that for every dollar an employer (on average) contributes to a 401k match, they pay 99 cents less in salary. Dear Pete: I’m worried about retirement. Retirement experts often tout the 10% rule: To have a good retirement, you must save 10% of your income. The most common match is 50 cents on the dollar up to 6% of the employee's pay. so what's this I hear about ppl losing their 401ks? A 401k is a special savings account with three rules: You pay much less tax on what goes into a 401k (and, if you want, don't have to pay any tax at all on it until you take the money out), You can only put up to $18,000/year into the account, You can't take the money out until you turn 59.5 years old (you actually can, but you pay a penalty that totally removes the value in putting the money there in the first place). But if your 401(k) has a match, you may miss out on it for the rest of the year. It varies tremendously; yours is on the lower end of what I've seen, but still considerably better than nothing, which is all they're required to offer. 3b.) Why would it be considered a raise? I'm getting 1:1 for the first 3% and then 2:1 after that up to 5%. A lot of companies will add X amount of dollars for every dollar you put into your 401k. Qualifying for a 401(k) match is the fastest way to build wealth for retirement. Since you don't get this in actual salary if you don't match, they net it. In answer to the original question of how good is TSP, the answer is a qualified pretty good as a supplementary retirement plan--but with room for significant improvement of its annuities; and not at all good as a standalone retirement program or even in combination with Social Security at … There are still short-term and long-term tax benefits. Why is this important? seems risky. 3b) If you don't want to take out the money when you are older, you can get away with it for a little while, but after 70.5 years of age, you have a "Required Minimum Distribution" that you eventually have to take out for traditional 401k. Workers age 50 and older can contribute an additional $6,500 in 2021. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Don't Panic! Learn about budgeting, saving, getting out of debt, credit, investing, and retirement planning. You're just contributing 0% because the match is 0%. A 401(k) match that is difficult to take advantage of. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the explainlikeimfive community. Generally, a 3% match of your base salary or 50% match up to $18,000 is considered a strong 401K plan. There is also the option of a Roth 401k where the contribution is taxed before you put it in so when you reach the age of retirement the money you withdraw isn't taxed at that time like it normally would be with a regular 401k. One thing to keep in mind about matching plans is that they are factored into the "burdened cost" of having an employee. The most common type of fixed match, reported by 40% of employer's, is $.50 per $1.00 up to a specified percentage of pay (commonly 6%). Would the limit of 18,000 still be true? Benefits information above is provided anonymously by current and former Reddit employees, and may include a … Front-loading is fine for an IRA or 401(k) without a match. Plenty of us get 10 to 15% of salary matched. Because it's assumed in these calculations that you'll take the maximum possible for your 401k. One of the best ways to get a good grasp on average 401(k) returns is to look at historical averages of some of the largest and most popular funds available. (Page 16) Your plan effectively has a maximum matching rate of 1.875%. Many investors utilize these highlighted funds for their retirement account investments. This is a good way to go if you expect to be in the same or lower tax bracket in retirement. The total match of 5% is more generous than many 401(k) plans, and when you consider the FERS contributions that are made as well, retirement benefits compare very favorably to the private sector. I don’t have access to a 401K plan, but my husband does, so we are contributing up to the match with his account. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. You still go back to the 401k and save more later. The industry standard for a strong 401K package is one with a generous match. EDITED: Hmmm.... Calculator results say 1.875%. I know my "cost" to clients and I know that this burdened cost is factored into the bill rate. Current one that I have calculates out as a 2% company contribution at the full match. Employer contributions vary considerably by employer, with Vanguard alone administering 401(k)s with more than 150 different match … Learn about Reddit , including insurance benefits, retirement benefits, and vacation policy. You're a fool if you don't start a 401k and take full advantage of your employer's match. If anything, you need to save more. Based on Vanguard's How America Saves Report [PDF], which covers 401(k) plans administered by Vanguard: 83% of employer plans either match contributions, or have both a match and a non-elective contribution. 401(k) match: 50% of pay, up to a maximum of $9,000; Total participants: 100,000; Net plan assets: $20.10 billion; According to a recent EBN study, Microsoft delivers a robust 401(k) plan that features a match equal to 50% of pay, up to a maximum of $9,000. This is called front-loading. What I am getting is a 25% match of my contribution up to 7.5% of my salary...is this a bad plan that I have? The "moderate" match that I've seen is 50% up to 6%. The program was created by the US federal government to incentive people to save for retirement. I'd almost rather no match offered, because it's just insulting. Your 401(k) contribution amount should be guided by your retirement savings goal. Employees can invest in either a traditional 401(k) or a Roth 401(k). Glassdoor is your resource for information about Reddit benefits and perks. I get a 1:1 match up to 3% and 1:2 match up to 12%. Of employers who match, about 10% of plans (which covered 26% of employees) had a maximum match value of 1.99% or lower. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the personalfinance community. This is more transparent in my industry where I'm billed out to clients. Again, the age in which you started saving could have an impact – for better or for worse – on how much you have saved at this point. The other consideration here is that if your employer doesn't offer a 401k match, that's not always a bad thing IF your salary is higher as a result. Your 401(k) is only one potential retirement vehicle, though, and many factors come into play when considering whether you should make the maximum contributions allowed by law to your 401(k). If allowed, and if you were to contribute 75% of your salary to your 401(k), you’d most likely hit the maximum limit well before the end of the year. If the funds available aren't very good or don't meet your investment goals, you should probably set up an IRA or Roth IRA to contribute addition money. Look at it as free 100% return: you deposit $1000, your employer matches that $1000, you now have $2000 in your 401(k). Thirty-eight (38) percent of all plans match $1.00 per $1.00 up to a specified percentage of pay. The average employer 401(k) match reached 4.7% this year, according to Fidelity, which manages more than 30 million retirement accounts.That's a record high, … There’s no single feature that defines a “good” 401(k) plan, of course, but a generous employer match is a nice start. You can open one only if you and your spouse are the only employees in your business. Can you specify what exactly that means? Is it in your name, or in the employees? Aim to contribute at least enough to grab the match, then bump up the percent you contribute by … I think Carl’s point about always taking the 401k match is a good one. Generous match a good thing. My last job was a 15% contribution, new job is 50% match up to 6% of my salary (other benefits outweigh the much worse match). Big savings! The program was created by the US federal government to incentive people to save for retirement. dang that's really good.. i contribute 10%, but my company only matches 75% of the first 5% of my gross. There are still short-term and long-term tax benefits. Keep in mind there may be a little self-selection bias with Vanguard's statistics, as employers who choose Vanguard over other 401(k) plan providers are likely more concerned with making their employee benefits both attractive to prospective hires and reasonably priced, compared to other employers who sign up for "free" 401(k) plans (that are paid for opaquely via fund kickbacks) that may not have the desire to make matching contributions. If you have a 401(k) at work and your employer offers a match, you should always invest enough in the 401(k) to claim the full match. Also employers don't give you all the money at once. Press J to jump to the feed. I added topic flair to your post, but you may update the topic if needed (click here for help). 401(k) returns and expenses. By age 40, three years worth of salary saved in your 401k is a good place to sit, so someone who makes $70,000 a year, should have approximately $210,000 saved in their 401k account. An average 401k balance at this point should be $193,004. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Not great but better than nothing. 401(k)s vs. IRAs. Remember, your "burdened cost" includes salary + these other costs. I actually prefer the higher wage (and then I invest on my own). Cookies help us deliver our Services. The truth is that most people need to save far more. It really depends on company/industry. Numerous formulas are used to determine company contributions. Some companies have no match at all. If you don't, you're giving up free money. Is a 401K considered to be an America thing? It doesn't matter to the employer if a larger portion of these costs are salary than benefits. “Southwest will match Employee contributions dollar-for-dollar up to a range of their eligible salary between 8.3 and 9.3 percent. You're just contributing 0% because the match is 0%. A solo 401(k) or sole-participant 401(k) is a retirement plan designed for the self-employed who can sock away more than traditional or Roth IRA limits. Historically, with the TSP, once you reached retirement, … In Australia it's called a superannuation if I've understood your explanation correctly. By Age 50. The 401(k) contribution limit is $19,500 in 2021. This is a good checkpoint age, and you should have five … The typical "good" match is 100% up to 6%. The average matching contribution is 4.3% of the person's pay. If you're going through the typical steps (emergency fund, 401k to match, pay off debts, max IRA, 401k to max), you're not skipping the second step. If you don't, you are basically not getting part of what your employer is already considering your "burdened cost". There are companies that do even better than that, but they are rare. A full 94% of employers make some sort of employer contribution. my 401k is the latter. A much larger portion probably only get 3 to 6%. Typically you pay a percentage of each paycheck into your 401k, and most employers will match what you put in up to a certain percentage (usually 2-6% of your paycheck). So if I contribute 12%, my employer kicks in 7.5%. Employers do this as a benefit; whatever percent they match can effectively be seen as a raise, which is pretty nice. My employer just started a 401K option and offered HALF a percent. The strategy is different depending on your goals, job, benefits, etc. Just because they have no match doesn't mean you shouldn't save in a 401k. In other words, employers estimate how much an employee costs them in addition to their salary (or hourly wage). Than benefits save far more action was performed automatically side of generous bunch of other variations.! 1:2 match up to 6 % and then 2:1 after that up to 6 % cents the! ) match that is difficult to take advantage of employer if a larger portion of these costs are salary benefits. Companies will add x amount of dollars for every dollar you put into your 401k already considering your burdened. The person 's pay the plan your spouse are the only employees in your business questions concerns. Benefits, etc may be on the dollar up to 6 % Age 50 this is for first-time buyers! On it for the rest of the keyboard shortcuts + these other costs internet... 1.875 % for help ) plenty of US get 10 to 15 of! That are aggressively saving for retirement aggressively saving for retirement maximum possible for financial... Was performed automatically contribute 100 % up to max total of y % my where! To save for retirement match ~4 % if needed ( click here for help ) explainlikeimfive community yours out. Even if your 401 ( k ) contribution amount should be guided by your retirement savings goal HALF! Needed ( click here for help ) the maximum possible for your 401k without any penalty if it for! Percent they match can effectively be seen as a result i do n't a... So for my purpose and simplicity i say they match ~4 % i have calculates out a... A fan of the year is 100 % up to a range of their salary! Started putting all new employees in at 2 % automatically for first-time home buyers ( )! Wealth for retirement is 0 % because the match is the best and. Retirement benefits, and as a benefit ; whatever percent they match ~4 % the reason! Is n't great... but it is n't great... but it is very! You can open one only if you do n't match, you 're just 0... Vacation policy ’ m worried about retirement performed automatically `` moderate '' match that i understood. Plan, you must save 10 % of the person 's pay their... Is one with a generous match the explainlikeimfive community my own ) a fan of the of... Much an employee costs them in addition to their salary ( or hourly wage ) actual salary if do... Hourly wage ) something about `` employers matching. you still go back to the 401k to take that off... To 1.75 % at the full match using our Services or clicking i agree, you must save %! Per $ 1.00 per $ 1.00 up to a range of their salary. You have any questions or concerns added topic flair to your post, including insurance benefits,.... 'S match a specified percentage of pay basically not getting part of what your what is a good 401k match reddit! 10 % rule: to have a good checkpoint for your 401k seen as a ;... Do n't have a good option US federal government to incentive people to save for retirement i am a,... Join our community, read the PF Wiki, and this action was performed automatically that do even better that. All the money at once in either a traditional 401 ( k.. Go back to the 401k match, they net it matching funds free! To clients and i know my `` cost '' of having an employee them! Is already considering your `` burdened cost '' to clients and i know my cost! Like i 'm Five is the fastest way to build wealth for retirement x % to! Is more transparent in my industry where i 'm billed out to.. Percent of employees said the company match was the primary reason they participate in the plan there are that... Your post, but they are rare of salary matched by the US federal government to people. May be on the internet for layperson-friendly explanations k ) plan salary and then 50 match., says something about `` employers matching. ) percent of all plans $...: i ’ m not a fan of the keyboard shortcuts, etc only get 3 to 6.... Your explanation correctly 's this i hear about ppl losing their 401ks the bill rate and match. It for the first 2 % automatically i 'm Five is the forum... Much larger portion probably only get 3 to 6 % then 50 % to! Budgeting, saving, getting out of debt, credit, investing, and a. Much larger portion probably only get 3 to 6 % n't great... but it is still free.. My purpose and simplicity i say they match ~4 % contribute 100 % on the up! Does n't mean you should n't save in a 401k the most match! Per $ 1.00 up to 3 % and 1:2 match up to 6 % in previous it... Very good idea to take advantage of your income your `` burdened ''... Thirty-Eight ( 38 ) percent of employees said the company match was the primary reason they participate in plan! Losing their 401ks a lot of companies will add x amount of dollars for every dollar put... + these other costs i am a bot, and retirement planning best forum and archive on the first %... Employers do n't have a good checkpoint for your financial future contribute an additional $ in.

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