Can't use a IRA since I'm already invested in an 401K?
931150
Walk into your local bank... go to new accounts.. and open a Roth IRA. They will gladly take your money and put it in the risk level of IRA's that they have.... just go outside your current 401k. \nMy company matches 10% of what I put into my 401k. It would be foolish for me to not put in that amount. If it was a crappy 401k, I'd only put in what am mount that they matched, and then put the rest into a Roth.
1162875
http://www.tradingresources.org/ira-401K-investing.htm\n\nshould be able to help answer your question.\n\nMoni
596907
Do things in the following order:\n\nMake sure you have an emergency fund that you can access equivalent to 3 months of expenses (not 3 months of income).\n\nPay off high-interest debt (if you have any).\n\nThen, if you have money that you won't need for a long time, you can take the following steps:\n\nIf your company offers a 401(k) with matching funds, participate in it up to the full matching amount (free money is good).  Put half into a total stock market index and half into an international index.\n\nFully fund your Roth IRA.  Use the same asset allocation as for your 401(k).\n\nIf that doesn't max out your savings, go back to the 401(k) and contribute up to the limit.
797665
It makes sense to have them in one spot so that you can easily manage all of the funds and choose an appropriate asset allocation for your needs.  If your current employer has a 401k that you are eligible for, it usually makes sense to roll it over to your current employer's plan since you cannot roll funds out of the plan that you are currently in until you terminate employment or retire.  \n\nIf you are not eligible for the 401k at your current employer, I reccomend opening an IRA at Vanguard.  I work for a direct competitor of Vanguard, but I still believe they have better solutions for individuals (I know, I should go work for them).   \n\nIf you are not a saavy investor, make it easy on yourself by investing in an "Asset Allocation Fund".  The Vanguard funds are called "Target Retirement 20xx".  You choose the year that is closest to the one in which you will retire.  The fund manager wraps many funds into a single Target Retirement investment that is suitable for someone who is retiring in that particular year.  Lets say you intend on retiring in 2035.  Choose the Target Retirement 2035 fund.  As we get closer to 2035, the investment gets gradually more conservative.  Many fund houses have similar types of investments.  These are hands down the best investments for people who don't want to waste their time picking out individual funds that suit their needs.  \n\nGood Luck
906202
If you suspended making your contributions, your existing assets are still invested.  Whether they grew or not depends on how they're invested.  If it was in a money fund then it grew modestly, if it was in stocks for all of 2006 then you probably got a nice return.  Surely your 401k generates account statements--check your year-end 2005 value and compare to today to see how much total return you made.
53875
OK, you CANNOT roll a 401k account directly into a Roth IRA. You can roll your money into a Traditional IRA and avoid any taxation and penalties. (Definetly a good idea.)\n\nYou could then convert your Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, but in doing this you would have to include the amount you convert as taxable income (pay income tax on the full amount). This may push you into a higher tax bracket, depending on your income and the size of your account.\n\nAssets in a Traditional IRA will be taxed when you withdraw them in retirement while the Roth IRA assets can be withdrawn tax free in retirement. Speak with a financial planner to help decide which choice is best for you.
474413
It stays there until you move it.  You can roll it over to another 401k or IRA or withdraw it with tax consequences.
248690
You can contribute $4,000 to an IRA as long as it is incone you have earned. Consider the new Roth IRAs.\n\nGo here: http://www.irs.gov/publications/p590/ch01.html#d0e1464\n\nYou'll get more detailed info there.\n\nGood Luck!
144789
Yes you can, but if your employer offers a 401k, a contribution to a traditional IRA may not be tax deductible.  Go to www.irs.gov and download publication 590 for the details.
320520
Absolutely though, you would need to check with a tax professional to determine whether the amounts deposited into your IRA are tax deferred or after-tax.  It all depends upon your income level.\n\nMax out your 401(k) contributions if at all possible. You're overall savings through the 401(k) far outweight the ultimate reduction in your "cash in hand" each pay check.
56556
There is no limit to the number of 401(k) plans you can have, other than the number of employers you have/had. Some employers require that you remove your funds within a certain amount of time; others just like having your money.\n\nI usually take my funds out of a 401(k) plan and put it into an IRA so that my old company cannot continue to manage (or mis-manage, think Enron) it. If you transfer it to a qualified IRA, there is no penalty. Talk to your old company and whoever's handling the IRA to make sure you transfer it properly ... there are usually standard forms. DON'T TAKE IT OUT FIRST AND THEN TRY TO RE-DEPOSIT IT ELSEWHERE ... THAT WILL INCUR PENALTIES!!
116392
I am not sure if it is beacuase I have a margin account or not, but I don't think so cause it seems to work the same in my IRA acocunts, but I am not paying any interest. But if I sell stock A I can then buy stock B right away.\n\nThe only time it is a problem is if I sell stock B and try to buy stock C before the stock A funds have shown up. So it might be your broker. I use ameritrade.
673210
I recommend low-cost mutual funds.  Vanguard has many good ones, and Fidelity has some very low-cost index funds.  Look for tax-managed funds, or tax-exempt bond funds.  Some bond funds are exempt from taxes in a particular state as well. However, tax exempt bond funds give lower returns.  You should talk to a tax advisor to see which way is better for you.  In stock funds, index funds tend to have lower capital gains than actively managed funds, and the returns are often just as good or better.\n\nIf your stock isn't already in a retirement fund, you can't just put it all in there at once.  You're limited to $4000/year in contributions. Do a Roth IRA if you can, but there's an income limit, and the stock sale may put you over that limit.  If you don't qualify for Roth, put what you can in a traditional IRA.  Either way, inside the IRA you can buy some of the mutual funds I mentioned.\n\nIf you can transfer $4000 worth of stock directly into the IRA and then sell it, that may avoid the capital gains tax on that portion.\n\nAny single stock is a high-risk investment, because it can go up or down quickly, so you can reduce your risk a lot by selling and diversifying (into those mutual funds.)  The bad news is that you'll have to pay capital gains taxes on the sale of your stock, especially if you've had it for less than a year.\n\nYou should also talk to a tax professional about the Alternative Minimum Tax, which can hit you if you have a large capital gain like that.\n\nBy the way, real estate has been fantastic recently, but it's showing signs of slowing down.  This may not be a good time to invest heavily in real estate.
228131
Yes, but while the 401K plan is tex deferred for the year, the Roth is not.  That money is not taxed upon redemption.
147946
Investments (that would be addressed with a QDRO) can be defined as pre or post tax investment. \nPre means that tax was deferred on both the basis ( the initial contribution) and the income. A post tax investment means that the basis was already taxed, so tax is only due on the income. Tradition IRA's and 40lK's ( or similar plans) can have both. \nRoth IRA's are post tax investment where the income accrues free of add'l tax.\n\nIn each case, beyond any tax,there are penalties for premature withdrawl. If the funds from the QDRO are transferred into an equivalent IRA or qualified plan, then ther is no penalty and you pay any tax  onlyat the time when you  actually take a distribution. \n\nIf you take a distribution now and do not rollover, you will be required to pay applicable penalties beyond the tax.
100055
Yes you can. Check out Equity Trust Company on the web. The ability to shield capital gains from taxes by using your IRA is an incredibly powerful tool.\n\nwww.trustetc.com
938955
you prolly can, but you will pay HUGE early withdrawl fees and taxes.\n\nit is designed as a RETIREMENT ACCOUNT, the money is for your retirement, that is why early withdrawls out of a 401 {k} are highly troublesome