I Have $920k in My 401(k). What Should I Do With It When I Retire?

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Eric Reed

Fri, Mar 14, 2025, 8:00 AM 10 min read

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Retirement is astir balance. In retirement, galore households make a fixed income from idiosyncratic savings and Social Security benefits. Retirees seldom person dependents oregon semipermanent redeeming needs (although of people property readying is simply a factor), truthful they whitethorn beryllium capable to absorption much connected their monthly numbers.

Allocating your income streams, readying for taxes and balancing your spending are the halfway elements of status planning. So, let’s accidental you person $920,000 successful your 401(k). What are your options for however to grip it erstwhile you retire, and however bash you measurement these options?

Here's however to deliberation astir this from the income broadside of the equation. If you’d similar immoderate personalized guidance connected this topic, you tin ever see reaching retired to a fiscal advisor.

When it comes to status planning, the biggest question is “when” you are successful your life. What that means is, are you younger, with much clip to save, oregon are you older, with status approaching? How overmuch clip you person until status volition mostly find your fiscal approach.

In general, a regularisation of thumb is this: The further you are from retirement, the much assertive you tin spend to beryllium with your portfolio. You person clip to retrieve from a imaginable downturn, truthful you tin put successful much volatile assets, which whitethorn output higher rates of instrumentality successful the long-term. By contrast, the person you are to retirement, the much blimpish you mightiness privation to be. With little clip until you request income, volatile assets tin beryllium much dangerous. This typically leads investors to instrumentality an equity-heavy attack earlier successful life, shifting to a bond-heavy attack arsenic they adjacent retirement.

That said, immoderate fiscal advisors whitethorn urge higher-risk assets aboriginal successful life. Retirements are getting longer arsenic beingness expectancy improves, truthful you whitethorn request much wealth than ever. Just arsenic importantly, downturns thin to past astir six to 18 months earlier the marketplace mostly recovers mislaid value. This means that, connected average, you could clasp a stock-heavy portfolio into your mid-60s with clip for it to retrieve earlier retirement.

You tin get the nonrecreational sentiment of a fiscal advisor but, successful general, if you are younger, you volition typically privation to permission your 401(k) invested successful higher-risk assets similar securities, versus much blimpish investments similar bonds. For example, accidental that you're 45 years aged with 22 years earlier retirement. You mightiness permission this wealth invested successful an S&P 500 fund. At the market's 11% mean complaint of return, adjacent without immoderate further investments, you mightiness person astir $9.1 cardinal saved by property 67.

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