Rollover IRA to Solo 401k
It looks like the Roth IRA conversion rule changes will stick, at least for 2010. There are only three months until the end of 2009. Congress is busy with something else. I don't think they will repeal the current law before the end of the year.
In preparation for converting my non-deductible IRA contributions to Roth IRA in 2010, I'm rolling over the pre-tax portion of my traditional IRA to my solo 401k. I set up the solo 401k last year primarily for this purpose — to provide a harbor for my pre-tax IRA money so I won't get taxed proportionally on my Roth conversion. After the rollover, I should have only one small IRA, consisting of my non-deductible contributions plus or minus market fluctuations from now until I convert in January 2010.
I have my solo 401k with Fidelity. When I called them about the rollover procedures, to my surprise, the rep actually discouraged me from doing so. To his credit, he made valid points. He knew what he was talking about. Fidelity trained them well.
A Non-Deductible IRA Is Worth It For Me
In Alternatives to a High Cost 401k Or 403b Plan , I mentioned non-deductible IRA as one of the options. If you are not eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA, you can still contribute to a Traditional IRA. Even though the contributions are not tax deductible, the money in the IRA still grows tax deferred. For some people this option beats investing in a taxable account. If you are eligible for a Roth IRA, of course contributing to a Roth IRA is better than contributing to a non-deductible IRA but not all people are eligible for a Roth IRA. Instead of listing the pros and cons of a non-deductible IRA qualitatively, I created this spreadsheet which lets you calculate the bottom line and compare it against investing in a regular taxable account:
After you enter your assumptions, the spreadsheet will calculate how much you will have in a non-deductible IRA and how much you will have in a taxable account, after all taxes are paid. Of course the calculated result will depend on your assumptions. So play with some what- ifs. For example under this set of assumptions,
Alternatives to a High Cost 401k Or 403b Plan
This is a common problem: you have a 401k or 403b plan at work, but the plan isn't very good. All the investment options in the plan have high expenses. The plan itself may also have some hidden fees. If the plan has a match, you contribute enough to get the full match. That's a no-brainer, because the match will more than compensate for the high costs and hidden fees. But then what? Any additional money you contribute to the plan won't get any more match. Or perhaps the plan doesn't have a match to begin with or your employer contributes to the plan regardless whether you contribute or not. In these cases, should you still contribute to the high cost 401k or 403b plan even when there is no [additional] match? I made a spreadsheet to compare the alternatives.
1. Roth IRA. If you are eligible, contributing to a Roth IRA is a good alternative to a no-match 401k or 403b. Because a Roth IRA is under your own control, you can buy low cost funds in your Roth IRA. The lower your costs, the more investment returns you get to keep.
2. Non-Deductible IRA. If you are not eligible for contributing to a Roth IRA, you are still eligible to contribute to a non-deductible Traditional IRA. The contributions are not tax deductible but the investments grow tax deferred inside the IRA. Under the current law, there is an opportunity to convert a non-deductible Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in 2010 and thereafter. This 2010 Roth conversion issue is beyond the scope for this post. See Should I Contribute To A Non-Deductible IRA? Part 1, Part 2 on My Money Blog for more information. For the purpose of this post, I assume the non-deductible IRA is going to stay as-is and not converted to Roth.
Calculator for 401(k), Roth IRA, then Back at 401(k)
[Last updated on July 10, 2008 with 2008 tax year IRA contribution limit.]
I searched on the Internet for a calculator that implements the strategy outlined in my previous post 401(k), Roth IRA, then Back at 401(k). But to my surprise I couldn't find any. There are calculators for 401(k), calculators for Roth IRA, but not one that combines them together. So I had to make one myself. If the inline frame doesn't display well, you can download it. It's simple HTML, with calculation done by JavaScript. Please let me know if you see any problems with it. Also let me know if you find a better one elsewhere.
401(k), Roth IRA, then Back at 401(k)
Money magazine published a list of 25 Rules to Grow Rich By. Blogger Blueprint for Financial Prosperity also picked it up and put the full list on one page. A few rules are a little silly, for example, Rule #22:
Resist the urge to buy the latest computer or other gadget as soon as it comes out. Wait three months and the price will be lower.
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