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Are you changing jobs? Tips for rolling out your 401(k)
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Are you changing jobs? Tips for rolling out your 401(k)

By STAN CHOE

Job-hopping is one of the best ways to boost workers’ wages, and a surprisingly robust job market means they still have opportunities. This is great news for workers, but remember: Make sure you allocate as much money to your new 401(k) plan as you did to your old plan.

When a worker moves to a new job, he or she must take the extra step of enrolling in their new employer’s 401(k) plan and deciding how much of their salary to contribute. Otherwise, if they’re lucky, they’ll automatically be enrolled in the plan and make the contribution the employer determines as a percentage of default salary.

In nearly half of the auto-enrolled 401(k) plans for which Vanguard keeps records, this default rate is 3% or 4%.

For employees just starting their careers, this type of contribution may make sense, even if the rule of thumb is to save 10% to 15% of your salary. Many 401(k) plans will also automatically increase this savings percentage by 1 percentage point per year.