Frequently Asked Questions

You can change investments at any time by logging into your account and clicking on Manage Investments.  From there, you can move money between investments, rebalance your investments and change how future contributions from your paycheck are invested.

BE CAREFUL about changing your investments too often.  Some investments will charge a fee if you are in and out in less than 30 days.

You can increase your contributions at any time by logging into your account at my401klink.com and clicking on Change Contribution Rate.  From there, you can change contributions to your Pre-Tax or Roth retirement savings.  We have a step by step guide that shows you how to change contributions.

We have a great video that goes over this topic in some detail.

If possible, try to save a percentage of your paycheck.  Then, whenever you get a pay raise or a cost of living adjustment, your retirement savings automatically increases.

If you are more comfortable with a dollar amount, you have that option too.

Yes, you can initiate the transfer with your previous 401(k) provider, and there will be no tax implications.  There may be a small transaction fee or account closure fee.

Traditionally, you can withdraw money from your 401(k) if you are at least age 59 1/2.  You can take money earlier, but may have tax penalties.  We have a great video about how to request a withdrawal.  Here are the withdrawal options:

1. Hardship
2. Rollover
3. In-service distribution
4. Lump sum

There are six ways to qualify for a Hardship withdrawal, and you will need to provide proof:

1) To cover medical expenses for your family, not covered by insurance.

2) To purchase a primary residence (the home you will live in).

3) Post-secondary (College) expenses.  Non-tuition expenses and student loan payments don’t qualify.

4) To prevent eviction of foreclosure on your primary residence.

5) Burial/Funeral expenses.

6) Making repairs to your primary residence, not covered by insurance.

A direct rollover, the act of moving funds from a Qualified Retirement Account into another Qualified Retirement Account can be done without tax consequences.

You can do a rollover out of the plan into an IRA or another Qualified Retirement Account, such as a 401(k), in the following circumstances:

1) You have retired, quit or been let go.

2) You are older than 59 1/2 but are still employed (in-service distribution).

3) If you have money in the plan that was already rolled over from a previous IRA or 401(k), you can move that money to another plan at any time.

An in-service distribution is taking money out of your account while you are still employed.  If you take a distribution and are younger than age 59 1/2, the distribution may be subject to a 10% tax penalty in addition to regular income taxes.

You can only take a lump sum withdrawal if you have retired, quit or been let go.  A lump sum withdrawal may be subject to a 10% tax penalty in addition to regular income taxes if you are younger than age 59 1/2.

Yes you can take a loan on your 401(K).  We have a video that walks through the process.  You can take up to half of your vested balance or $50,000, whichever is less.  The interest you pay on your loan is credited to your account.

The loan payment will be withheld automatically from your paycheck, and you can decide how long the loan will last.  A General Purpose loan can last up to 5 years, and a Residential loan (used to purchase a primary residence) can last up to 15 years.

Keep in mind, the loan will have origination fees and annual fees.