401K Pennsylvania

While a 401(k) plan isn't a magic guarantee that if you participate you will be able to retire in Tahiti at age 55, it can be a major part, perhaps even the most important part, of your retirement planning strategy. For many people in Pennsylvania, especially those who do not own homes, their 401(k)'s can be their biggest assets.


1. Local Companies

AXA Advisors
610.606.0569
1525 Valley Ctr Pky
Bethlehem, PA
Professional Capital Services, LLC
215-575-7298
3200 Mellon Bank Center
Philadelphia, PA
Ernst & Young
(215) 448-8450
2001 Market St Fl 35
Philadelphia, PA
Purcell Richard A CPA
(610) 927-4910
Reading, PA
Brito Roy P CPA
(215) 860-0792
638 Newtown Yardley Rd
Newtown, PA
Rosenberg Associates
(215) 244-7737
1950 Street Rd Ste 209
Bensalem, PA
Safdar Tariq
(215) 382-0900
3001 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA
Yates John C CPA
(717) 755-6255
1763 Ridgewood Rd
York, PA
Bishop Arthur J CPA
(412) 854-4074
1107 Surrey Woods Rd
Bethel Park, PA
Padgett Business Services of Bucks County
(215) 639-5920
1950 Street Rd
Bensalem, PA


2. The Tax Reform Act

401 plans were first authorized by a section of The Tax Reform Act that Congress passed in 1978. It took several more years until the actual regulations were put into place. So beginning in 1982, taxpayers were able to begin making contributions to their plans for the first time. It wasn’t until 1991, however, that the final regulations were published.

The name of the program comes from the place where it is listed in the Internal Revenue Service tax code: section 401, paragraph (k).

Not every employee in Pennsylvania is eligible; those who work for tax-exempt organization, such as churches, public schools, or hospitals cannot participate. But for these employers, there are similar 403(b) plans available.

But the basic idea of each plan is the same: your employer deducts a certain percentage of your gross earnings from each paycheck and puts it into a retirement plan for you. Its all done automatically, with the amount deducted reported to you on each paycheck stub.

3. Your 401(k) Plan is Tax-Deferred

Your automatic deductions are done on a pre-tax basis. This doesn’t mean that they are “tax free,” it just means that you don’t pay taxes on these amounts until, ideally, you are at least 59 and ½ years old, you retire, and you start to receive distributions from your plan. (There are certain instances in which you can receive distributions from your plan before you are 59 and ½ years old, but you generally want to do this unless you have to.)

The tax-deferred contributions are invested in securities or stocks and are then allowed to grow until they are withdrawn when the participant retires. Unlike regular stock market investments, you are not faced with paying capital gains taxes when your 401k investments increase in value.

What does this mean right now, when you are making contributions to your plan? It means that your employer is reporting a lower adjusted gross income to your employer. Although you’re still making the same amount of money, according to the IRS, you’re making a smaller amount of taxable income and your tax liability is lowered. This reduces the amount of taxes you must pay at the end of the year.

For example, suppose that you receive a paycheck for $1,000. If you put $50 of that amount into a 401 k plan, your taxable income is only $950.

This is often considered one of the major benefits of a 401(k) plan. If you contribute enough to the plan, you might even put yourself into a lower tax bracket. In addition, because certain IRS credits, such as child tax credits, depend on a worker’s adjusted gross income, you may even lower your taxable income enough to be eligible for additional credits, while saving for retirement at the same time.

Because you lower your adjusted gross income when you contribute to a 401(k) plan, you also lower the amount of state taxes you must pay (if your state has a state income tax).

Of course you have to pay taxes on this income when you retire. But since incomes often drop when people retire, you may be in a lower income bracket by then and pay less in taxes.

4. Your 401(k) Plan Can Protect You

With pension plans from employers now a rarity, the 401k-retirement savings plan may well be the main source of retirement income for many people in Pennsylvania. Utilize your human resources department to make sure you know what is available to you for retirement options, and that you understand your available benefits. Don’t wait for them to come to you, because they probably won’t.

Few middle- and low-income people are able to buy significant amounts of stocks and bonds on their own; most don’t have a broker. Few will have Certificates of Deposits or large amounts of savings. Few in this category are able to put money into 402 plans, or even understand how to utilize them.

Of course, there are always Social Security payments. But if you rely exclusively on that, you’re very likely to be disappointed. Social Security payments can be as low as several hundred per month. And unless the government radically changes the rules in the future, you’re not likely to receive more than a few thousand dollars a month from Social Security payments, regardless of how much you earned during your lifetime.

If you have to live on Social Security alone, that could represent a radical drop from your pre-retirement income. You don’t want to go from a middle-class lifestyle to poverty. Many of us dream that we’ll be better off after we retire; few of us realize that without careful planning things could be worse.

5. Featured Local Company

Professional Capital Services, LLC

215-575-7298
3200 Mellon Bank Center
Philadelphia, PA
www.pcscapital.com

Regional Articles
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- 401K Dallas PA
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- 401K Dover PA
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- 401K Doylestown PA
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- 401K Glenolden PA
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- 401K Greensburg PA
- 401K Greenville PA
- 401K Grove City PA
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- 401K Hanover PA
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- 401K Hatfield PA
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- 401K Hazleton PA
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- 401K Hermitage PA
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- 401K Honesdale PA
- 401K Honey Brook PA
- 401K Horsham PA
- 401K Hummelstown PA
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- 401K Huntingdon Valley PA
- 401K Indiana PA
- 401K Irwin PA
- 401K Jeannette PA
- 401K Jenkintown PA
- 401K Jersey Shore PA
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- 401K Kennett Square PA
- 401K King Of Prussia PA
- 401K Kingston PA
- 401K Kittanning PA
- 401K Kutztown PA
- 401K Lafayette Hill PA
- 401K Lake Ariel PA
- 401K Lancaster PA
- 401K Langhorne PA
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- 401K Latrobe PA
- 401K Lebanon PA
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- 401K Middletown PA
- 401K Milford PA
- 401K Milton PA
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- 401K Monongahela PA
- 401K Monroeville PA
- 401K Montoursville PA
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- 401K Moscow PA
- 401K Mount Joy PA
- 401K Mount Pleasant PA
- 401K Mountain Top PA
- 401K Muncy PA
- 401K Murrysville PA
- 401K Myerstown PA
- 401K Nanticoke PA
- 401K Natrona Heights PA
- 401K Nazareth PA
- 401K New Brighton PA
- 401K New Castle PA
- 401K New Cumberland PA
- 401K New Holland PA
- 401K New Hope PA
- 401K New Kensington PA
- 401K New Oxford PA
- 401K Newtown PA
- 401K Newtown Square PA
- 401K Newville PA
- 401K Norristown PA
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- 401K North Wales PA
- 401K Northampton PA
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- 401K Oxford PA
- 401K Palmerton PA
- 401K Palmyra PA
- 401K Perkasie PA
- 401K Philadelphia PA
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- 401K Pittsburgh PA
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- 401K Plymouth Meeting PA
- 401K Pottstown PA
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- 401K Reading PA
- 401K Red Lion PA
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- 401K Saylorsburg PA
- 401K Sayre PA
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- 401K Schwenksville PA
- 401K Scranton PA
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- 401K Sellersville PA
- 401K Sewickley PA
- 401K Shamokin PA
- 401K Sharon PA
- 401K Shippensburg PA
- 401K Slatington PA
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- 401K Somerset PA
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- 401K Southampton PA
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- 401K Sunbury PA
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- 401K Tunkhannock PA
- 401K Tyrone PA
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- 401K Upper Darby PA
- 401K Verona PA
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- 401K Warminster PA
- 401K Warren PA
- 401K Warrington PA
- 401K Washington PA
- 401K Wayne PA
- 401K Waynesboro PA
- 401K Waynesburg PA
- 401K Wellsboro PA
- 401K West Chester PA
- 401K West Grove PA
- 401K West Mifflin PA
- 401K Wexford PA
- 401K Whitehall PA
- 401K Wilkes Barre PA
- 401K Williamsport PA
- 401K Willow Grove PA
- 401K Windber PA
- 401K Wynnewood PA
- 401K York PA
Related Local Event
Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers
Dates: 9/22/2008 - 9/24/2008
Location: Top of the Tower
Philadelphia PA
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