The Hidden Downsides of a 401(k) Loan

July 21, 2016

I recently had a helpline call with a woman who was thinking about taking a loan from her 401(k) to pay a $32k condo assessment and avoid the 3.75% interest rate she would be charged if she made the payments over time. At first, the 401(k) loan looked like a great option. There’s no credit check, the fees and interest rate are minimal, and best of all, the interest would go back into her own account. However, there are also several hidden downsides of 401(k) loans to be aware of:

You lose out on any earnings. The stock market has averaged a 7-10% average annualized return over time. It’s easy to overlook this but it’s probably the biggest cost.

Your payments may be higher. Even if your interest rate is lower than the alternatives, your payments might actually be much higher than a credit card that will be paid off over 20-30 years. That’s because 401(k) loans generally have to be paid back within 5 years. The payments also generally come out of your paycheck so if you run into financial trouble, you don’t have the option to prioritize things like your mortgage and car payment. You also can’t eliminate a 401(k) loan through bankruptcy.

You may not be able to take another loan. This could be a problem if you don’t have an adequate emergency fund. In that case, you might want to borrow more than you need and put the extra money away someplace safe like a savings account or money market fund for a rainy day.

You may be subject to taxes and penalties if you leave your job. Any outstanding loan balance after about 60 days of leaving employment is typically considered a withdrawal. That means it’s subject to taxes and possibly a 10% penalty if you’re under age 59 ½.

You’re double-taxed on the interest. Even though the interest wasn’t paid pre-tax, it’s taxable when you eventually withdraw it. That means you’re essentially paying taxes twice on that money since you already paid taxes on it when you first earned it.

In this woman’s case, her employer’s policies provided a lot of advantages since she was able to take out up to 5 loans at a time and could continue making loan payments after leaving her job. However, we calculated that the taxes on the interest could easily add up to over $1,000 depending on the interest rate. As a result, she decided to use some of her emergency savings and reserve the 401(k) loan option for future emergencies.

If you’re considering a 401(k) loan, be aware of all the possible downsides. Make sure you also consider other options like peer-to-peer lending sites such as Lending Club and Prosper that allow you to borrow money from other people over the Internet, usually at lower rates than you can find at a bank. Finally, don’t forget that the real purpose of your 401(k) is retirement.

Consolidating Isn’t Always Easy

November 20, 2015

As I was whining about not having a topic to write about, I got this email in my inbox:

I’ve got a co-worker who wanted to consolidate his credit card debt into one manageable loan with a lower interest rate.When he started looking though, he continued to find either consolidation loans with higher interest rates than his credit cards or he’d find what he calls “scam artists” that claim to try to find consolidation loans that he would be eligible for but then would say that he wasn’t eligible for them or they were for a “3rd party investor loan.” (Don’t really know what he meant by that.)  I said I’d help him find reputable companies and I did. BUT that’s hard to do with all of the information – good and bad – on the Internet.  

Boom! That’s a real life blog topic…. Continue reading “Consolidating Isn’t Always Easy”

What To Do If You Owe The IRS

July 09, 2015

One of the biggest fears of many Americans is getting audited by the IRS. Even worse, is finding out that you owe thousands of dollars in back taxes that you can’t pay. That’s the position that one of my recent helpline callers was in. Not only could she not afford to pay the debt in full, but the balance was actually increasing since the interest and penalties each month were considerably more than she was paying. If you find yourself in a similar situation, here are some options to consider: Continue reading “What To Do If You Owe The IRS”

How to Give the RIGHT Way

April 29, 2015

December is associated with giving gifts to loved ones, but often May and June are months where significant milestones like graduations and weddings occur. If you are making a gift of cash, there are a few questions you might want to ask yourself. How much is enough, how much is too much, and what’s the best way to give? Continue reading “How to Give the RIGHT Way”

We’re Not Talking About What’s Right. We’re Talking About The Law

March 18, 2015

One of my favorite TV shows of the 80’s was “WKRP in Cincinnati.” If you’re my age, you probably remember Johnny Fever, Venus Flytrap and of course Jennifer and the infamous Turkey Drop: http://youtu.be/lf3mgmEdfwg. As much as I loved that episode, my favorite quote came from another episode where Mr. Carlson is talking to the station’s attorney about a legal issue. When Mr. Carlson is talking about a situation that is morally wrong, he says, “That’s not right,” and the attorney responds, “Arthur, we’re not talking about what’s right. We’re talking about the law.” Continue reading “We’re Not Talking About What’s Right. We’re Talking About The Law”

3 Alternatives to Borrowing From Your 401(k)

July 10, 2014

Last week, I wrote about some reasons it might actually make sense to borrow from your 401(k). After all, there’s no credit check and the interest goes back into your own account.  But even in those situations, there may be better options. After all, borrowing from your 401(k) means your money isn’t growing for retirement, the money generally has to be paid back over a relatively short 5 year period, and the outstanding balance could be subject to taxes and penalties if you leave your job. Here are three alternatives along with their pros and cons relative to a 401(k) loan and a couple of sites you can use to find them: Continue reading “3 Alternatives to Borrowing From Your 401(k)”

11 Ways To Boost Your Credit Score

January 27, 2014

One of two things hold you back from better credit — inaction or the wrong action. So it’s either time to start doing or to start doing it right. Here are 11 ways to do that: Continue reading “11 Ways To Boost Your Credit Score”

How To Have Too Much Cash

March 04, 2013

Cash is king. You hear that term being thrown around and for good reason – having available cash is vital to financial health. Without having a cushion of cash, you are very vulnerable and can easily be taken advantage of during hard  times.  When you have a solid emergency fund with enough funds to carry you for six to eight months, you can handle most emergencies — even a job loss– with out having to take extreme measures. Continue reading “How To Have Too Much Cash”