401k

New Jersey 101.5's official investment adviser urges a moderated response to the financial impact caused by coronavirus.

Q. Can a Required Minimum Distribution from a 401(k) plan be paid directly to charity?

Q. Whenever I move funds around in my 401(k) — my spouse and I have five altogether — I am not charged anything, and I can freely rebalance existing balances any time I like. But within my IRA, I am charged $7 or $9 any time I move them around, so I’ve been hesitant to roll all these 401(k)s into an IRA. Are there hidden fees in my 401(k) that I don’t know about ?

Q. My son is switching to a new job and he’s thinking of taking the money out of his first 401(k) to help pay moving costs. I’m saying it’s a bad idea. Can you help me explain why?

Q. I invest enough in my 401(k) to get the match. That’s 6 percent of my salary. I’m thinking of either increasing the savings or using a Roth IRA instead. How can I decide? — Roth debating

Q. I don’t think I have good investment choices in my 401(k) plan, but I’ve always saved the max. Does it make sense to save to an IRA instead and put the rest in some other kind of account where I can choose the investments?

Q. I have a new job and I had a 401(k) at my old job. Should I leave the money there? I’m not an experienced investor.

Q. I need another $30,000 to pay my son’s remaining college bills. I don’t have the cash. Am I better off with a home equity loan (my home is almost paid off) or should I take a loan from my 401(k) plan? I don’t plan to retire for another 10 years.

Q. I started using a Roth 401(k) last year but it meant I had to pay more in taxes. Should I go back to the traditional 401(k)?

Q. I will be changing jobs and I have a small 401(k). Should I leave it there or move it to my new employer’s plan?