401(k) Alternatives

[AlienRobotAnthropologist]

This is purely academic to me personally, but what are the options for people who work for employers that don't offer a 401k plan? I understand that there's analogous plans for the self-employed and government workers, but what about somebody working at Walmart or even a fancy employer that just decided to not offer a 401k for some reason?

[Bracken_Joy]

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/101415/my-employer-doesnt-offer-401k-should-i-care.asp
http://twocents.lifehacker.com/a-basic-guide-to-retirement-plans-when-your-employer-do-1657644936

[SeattleCPA]

You can use an IRA at any income level if you aren't covered by a qualified retirement plan, so that's an easy option that works for most people.

I think going the IRA route is better, but as I've explained my blog, you can also use direct real estate investment to get the same tax deferral result--though with more fiddling.

BTW, employers have some simpler less expensive options, too, like SIMPLE-IRAs... which are basically "lite" 401(k) plans. (The actual code section, I think, is 408(p)...) So an employee may want to request some simpler pension alternative from an employer who understandably doesn't want to shoulder the burden of a 401(k).