Yes. If you are a client and are actively participating in your company's 401(k), 403(b) or 457 plan, we will provide guidance assisting you to choose among the available funds in your company plan without additional charge. As a quid pro quo, we ask that you consider our firm for asset management when you withdraw your assets from your plan.

No, it is not a new type of plan. Designated Roth contributions are a new type of contribution that can be accepted by new or existing 401(k) or 403(b) plans. This feature is permitted under a Code section added by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA), effective for years beginning on or after January 1, 2006.

Basically, the 401(k) is a tax-deferred retirement plan for private sector employees, while the 403(b) is a retirement plan of educational and certain non-profit organizations.

Unfortunately we were not able to include supplemental retirement account (403(b) and/or 457) information on this year’s statement. We hope to include this information in the future. If currently enrolled, questions may be referred to company: http://www.ohio.edu/hr/benefits/retirement/sra_providers.cfm

Yes. If your employer(s) offer both a 403(b) and a 401(k), you may contribute to both. However, your aggregate contributions may not exceed the elective deferral limit. In 2005, this limits your total contribution to $14,000. If you are age 50 or older at any time during the year, your contribution limit increases to $18,000.

A 401(k) plan is a type of retirement plan offered by an employer under section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. A 403(b) plan is a somewhat different type of retirement plan, which has many of the same features of a 401(k). Since Duke is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization and educational institution we can offer a 403(b) plan.

You can generally move the vested portion of your account from one type of plan to another as long as the new plan accepts rollovers. Your after-tax contributions are only transferable between similar plans (for example, from a 403(b) plan to 403(b) plan), and you must move your money directly between plans.

you experience financial hardshipsFor more detailed information refer to IRS Publication 571. You can obtain this document by clicking on IRS Publications and scrolling to Publication 571 Tax Sheltered Annuity Programs.

No, your stocks can be transferred “in-kind,” which means that they will be transferred as is to your new plan. For accounting or audit purposes, you will want to keep track of the in-kind market value at the point of your rollover.

You can easily roll over all or part of a previous employer's retirement plan to Firstrade. If you wish to open both an accumulation IRA (e.g. Traditional or Roth) and a Rollover IRA, please complete two separate Adoption Agreements. Visit our Forms Download Center for necessary forms.

The NEW law allows you to roll funds from an IRA into an HSA. However, the amount you contribute to your HSA is still limited by the annual contribution limits.

The government sets the standards as to how much money can be contributed into a 403(b). The maximum amount any individual under the age of 50 can contribute is $14,000 for the 2005 calendar year. Any individual age 50 or older may contribute up to $18,000 for the 2005 calendar year.

The government allows you to take a distribution from the 403(b) plan at age 59 ? without paying any penalties. However, you would still be responsible for paying taxes on the distribution since your salary deferrals were pre-tax.

A 401(k) plan is a defined contribution plan that is a cash or deferred arrangement. You can elect to defer receiving a portion of your salary which is instead contributed on your behalf, before taxes, to the 401(k) plan. Sometimes the employer may match your contributions. There are special rules governing the operation of a 401(k) plan. For example, there is a dollar limit on the amount you may elect to defer each year. The dollar limit is $11,000.

Yes. Starting in year 2002, under the new law you can move your money from a Section 457 plan to an IRA. long a you have a balance in your 457 plan you may be able to roll it over into your new employer’s plan or into an IRA.