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I’m 55 With $1.2 Million Saved

Updated: 27-10-2024, 12.06 PM

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Catch-up contributions are designed to help people save extra money in tax-advantaged retirement accounts once they hit age 50. For many savers who are behind on their retirement savings goals, catch-up contributions represent a not-to-be-missed second chance at securing a more comfortable retirement.

A financial advisor can help you plan and save for retirement. Connect with a fiduciary advisor today.

But what if you’ve already amassed a sizable retirement nest egg? Say for example that you’re 55 years old with $1.2 million in a 401(k). Making catch-up contributions may not be a necessity, especially if you have other immediate financial needs like covering your living expenses or paying down high-interest debt.

Catch-up contributions can help you boost your 401(k) balance in the years leading up to retirement.
Catch-up contributions can help you boost your 401(k) balance in the years leading up to retirement.

Catch-up contributions allow savers who are 50 and older make extra contributions to tax-advantaged retirement plans each year. These amounts adjust periodically. For 2024, an eligible saver can contribute an extra $7,500 to a 401(k), 403(b), 457 or government Thrift Savings Plan, bringing their total annual contribution to $30,500. The IRS also permits people 50 and older to save an extra $1,000 in an IRA.

Catch-up contributions offer some appealing advantages. The pluses include the ability to get an added tax deduction for the current year and put larger sums of money away in accounts where the balances can be invested and grow tax-free. However, it’s important to not that if you make over $145,000 in 2024, catch-up contributions must be made with after-tax dollars. But if you need help figuring out how much you should be socking away each year for retirement, consider talking it over with a financial advisor.

A middle-age couple looks over their retirement savings as they consider making catch-up contributions.
A middle-age couple looks over their retirement savings as they consider making catch-up contributions.

Despite these benefits, only around 16% of eligible savers took advantage of catch-up contributions in 2022, according to Vanguard’s annual “How America Saves” report in 2023. Catch-up contributions may not make financial sense for everyone, including those having trouble making ends meet and those with high-interest debt.

For instance, say you have $20,000 in credit card debt carrying an interest rate of 24%. SmartAsset’s Credit Card Calculator shows that if you make a minimum monthly payment of $401, you won’t pay it off for more than 25 years and you’ll end up paying $101,377 in total interest.

Now, say you take the $7,500 you would have used to make catch-up contributions and use it to pay down your credit card balance instead. By spreading this money out over 12 months and adding it to your minimum monthly payments, you could potentially pay off your balance in just two years and pay only $5,600 in total interest.

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