Published by Moneywise.com

Written by Chris Clark

“Higher earners, heed this warning: If you’ve been persistently socking away money for retirement through a traditional 401(k) plan, a big change is coming.”

“Among dozens of changes aimed at enhancing retirement savings options for workers, the SECURE 2.0 Act approved by Congress in late 2022 disrupts the “catch-up” contributions used by older, higher earners. Starting in 2026, those catch-ups will have to be designated as after-tax Roth contributions instead of regular 401(k) ones.

“The switch is more than a mere name change, as traditional 401(k) and Roth IRA accounts are very different retirement vehicles with distinctly different tax advantages and considerations.

“Employer-sponsored 401(k) accounts have become a default retirement vehicle for millions of American workers. Nearly 70 % of Americans working in the private sector had access to employer-sponsord retirement plans as of March 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, only 52% of private-sector workers take advantage of them.

“The set-it-and-forget-it approach of 401(k)s provides employees with a sure and steady wealth-builder. The focus on pre-tax contributions also lowers the contributor’s taxable income, though that tax bill is kicked down the road to retirement when withdrawals from 401(k)s become taxable events.

“Roths are different. While contributions to these accounts are taken straight from one’s bottom line net pay, the Roth advantages arrive at age 59.5 — when contributors can start withdrawing their Roth funds tax-free.”

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