401(k) Basics

• What is a 401(k)?
• What's the benefit of a 401(k) over other retirement investments?
• Can I open an IRA or a Roth IRA if I already have a 401(k)?

Beneficiaries

• Can my child be my beneficiary?
• How do I change my beneficiary?
• What happens if I am the beneficiary of someone's 401(k)?

Changing Jobs

• What happens to my 401(k) if I quit or lose my job?

Contributions

• How much money can I contribute to my 401(k) each year?
• What if I had two different jobs and contributed more than the IRS allows for the year?
• How do I change my contribution rate?
• Can I stop contributing to my 401(k)?

Distributions - Generally

• Can I withdraw money from my 401(k) any time?
• If I withdraw money before age 59 ½ from my 401(k), will I have to pay a penalty?
• How can I withdraw money before age 59 ½ from my 401(k) and avoid the 10% penalty?
  

Death

• What happens to my account if I die?
• What should I do if I am the beneficiary on an account and the account holder has died?
• What can I do with the money I receive from a distribution due to death?

• Can I withdraw money from my 401(k) account if I become disabled?

Divorce

• What happens to my 401(k) account if I get divorced?

Financial Hardship

• What constitutes a financial hardship?
• Do I have to pay taxes on a hardship withdrawal?
• How do I get a hardship distribution?

Loans

• How much can I borrow from my 401(k)?
• What happens to my outstanding loan if I quit or lose my job?
• Can I get more than one loan from my 401(k)?
• How do I take out a loan?

Retirement

• When do I have to start taking distributions?
• If I'm still working after age 70½, do I have to take the required distributions?
  

Rollovers

• How do I roll my 401(k) account over to my new employer's 401(k) plan?

Vesting

• What does it mean to be fully vested?
• What if I leave the company before I'm fully vested?