Starting a New Job

Enroll in Your Employer’s Retirement Plan

• Benefits of saving early
• Types of retirement plans
• Automatic enrollment in your employer's retirement plan
• Retirement Savings Contribution Credit

Eligibility to Participate – in your employer’s retirement plan

Notices (documents) – from your employer

Contributions – to your retirement account

• Catch-up contributions – for missed years of opportunity
• Designated Roth accounts

Vesting – in a retirement plan, means ownership

Investing Plan Assets

• Participant-directed accounts – when the choice is left up to you
• Fees you can be charged

Accessing Money From Your Account Before Retirement?

• Tax on early distributions – before you reach age 59 ½
• Hardship distributions – if your plan allows, the rules to follow
• Loans – if your plan allows, the rules to follow

Life Changes

That you need to consider when you(r):

• Marry or have children
• Become disabled
• Divorce
• Spouse dies
• Are laid off, quit or terminate your employment
  • Rollovers

And when your employer:

• Terminates the plan
• Switches to another type of plan
• Declares bankruptcy
• Merges with another company

Retirement

• Benefits – when do they usually start?
  
  
• Required Minimum Distributions – you cannot keep your retirement account indefinitely
  
  
• Choose among annuity methods
  • Qualified Pre-Retirement Survivor Annuity
  • Qualified Joint & Survivor Annuity
    
    
• Tax on Normal Distributions

Death

• Death Before Retirement – What happens to your retirement account if you die before retiring?
  
  
• Death After Retirement – What happens to the rest of your retirement account if you die after retiring?
  
  
• Beneficiary – What are a beneficiary’s options and what assets are taxed?

Alphabetical Index of Retirement Topics

Definitions

Additional Resources