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.

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.

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.

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.

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. Only monies from a participant's prior Roth 401(k) qualified retirement account can be rolled over into a participant's Roth 401(k) account within your Plan.

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.

No, designated Roth contributions are treated the same as pre-tax elective contributions when performing annual nondiscrimination testing. Yes, a plan can provide that the highly compensated employee (HCE), as defined in section 414(q), with elective contributions for a year that include both pre-tax elective contributions and designated Roth contributions may elect whether excess contributions are to be attributed to pre-tax elective contributions or designated Roth contributions.

No. Employer sponsored 401(k) plans must offer Elective Deferrals as an available option to participants in order to allow for Roth 401(k) contributions.

Participants will need to access their individual accounts online and select the Contribution Summary link under Section Guide. Participants can then click on the button "Change Contribution Rate" to elect a contribution rate for their Roth 401(k) money source.

All Roth 401(k) contributions are to be included with the same payroll date and frequency as Elective Deferrals. A Roth 401(k) money source will be available in the Contribution Processing section via Plan Sponsor Access referencing participants that have elected Roth 401(k) contributions.

A Roth 401(k) is a feature that allows participants to contribute to their retirement on an AFTER TAX basis. As long as the money remains in a plan for at least 5 years, the distribution (even the earnings!) will be TAX FREE.

of this time, the IRS has not finalized regulations about Roth 401(k) contributions. Therefore, distributions (including hardship distributions and loans) will not be able to be made from Roth 401(k) money until the final rules are issued. We expect these rules early in 2006. Of course, a participant would still have access to his account balance from other money sources.

You must first rollover your 401(k) into a traditional IRA. Once you've done this, you may convert your traditional IRA to a ROTH IRA. The rollover from a 401(k) into a ROTH IRA usually triggers tax-consequences since the taxation of ROTH IRA withdrawals is more liberal than 401(k) withdrawals..

Roth 401(k) contributions are added to regular (tax deferred) 401(k) contributions in calculating the maximum that can be contributed to a plan. The maximum contribution (both Roth 401(k) AND regular 401(k) contributions) for 2007 is $15,500 plus up to an additional $5,000 if the participant attains age 50 during the plan year.

Roth 401(k) contributions are treated the same as regular 401(k) contributions for purposes of a regular or safe harbor match.

Your 401(k) plan helps you start regular investing, and stick with it. Your contributions are automatically deducted from your salary before you receive your check. Since the money is deducted from your gross income, you will have a lower taxable income, which means you will pay less in annual taxes. The money you save will accumulate on a tax-deferred basis. This means you pay no federal or state taxes on your contributions or investment earnings until you start withdrawing money from the plan.