ivan41

Here is info on the Texas 457 b: https://ers.texas.gov/Active-Employees/Retirement/Texa$aver-401(k)-457-Program Empower Retirement oversees the plan: https://www.empower-retirement.com/ Teachers should verify (with their HR department) if their district offers 457 b plan eligibility.

Tony: I was able to confirm that the LifePath funds are associated with BlackRock. Thank you! Ed: Thank you for all of that information. So, I also have both Traditional and Roth accounts with Vanguard. I started my Traditional account with funds from a Roller 401(k) from a previous employer. Since then, I have continued to contribute after-tax money to the Traditional account (Vanguard S&P 500 Index ETF (VOO)). Now, it's just a matter of optimizing my money allocations, like you said. Out of curiosity: Would you know if my after-tax contributions to the VOO account in my Traditional Vanguard account are in any danger of being double-taxed once I choose to make qualified withdrawals (age 59 1/2 to 70 1/2)? I feel there may be an obvious answer, but I wanted to make sure.

Tony: That will be my next step, to see if any of these providers offer a Roth 403 b option. Just to confirm, do you know if all of the LifePath Index Funds belong to the BlackRock portfolio?

Texas 457 b fees:

Ed: Thank you for the feedback. I spoke with a Vanguard representative and she was able to provide me with this document: http://www.vanguard.com/pdf/403BBP_102017_web.pdf. It might be useful for your blog - thanks for directing me there btw! In essence, there is a flat $5 fee/per month for the 403 b plan. Would you say that the benefit of the Traditional IRA stems from the ability to contribute tax-deductible contributions? If so, would you advise prioritizing 403 b contributions as opposed to my Roth IRA contributions? I ask because I am not sure how I would start a Traditional IRA without it being offered by an employer (I would still have to see if any of the 403 b organizations would offer a Traditional IRA contribution option). Tony: I will definitely continue to do my research. Hence, my delay in initiating the 403 b/457 b investment. I was having trouble uploading the files - let me try a picture.

Good Morning! I am a 30-year-old from Dallas, Texas and I just completed my first year of teaching (2nd Grade Bilingual, Math & Science). I recently found out about this forum and I was hoping to attain some advice regarding 403 b and 457 b retirement options provided through my district (I apologize in advance for all of the detail, but I wanted to provide as much information in advance, in case it was necessary for you to provide the best advice possible). First: A friend of mine immediately signed up with AXA upon starting teaching last year (we are both first year teachers). After reading the various posts on this forum, I think it would be best to transfer her investment to another provider. Based off the list of providers, which option would you recommend? I am looking for a do-it-yourself option with the lowest recordkeeping expenses and with diverse fund options (i.e. fund options with the lowest possible expense ratios). Here is our provider list: https://www.trs.texas.gov/TRS Documents/certified_companies_list.pdf. ASPire Financial Services and Commonwealth Annuity are also eligible providers, but they are not listed. Based off the feedback on this forum, I am currently considering the Security Benefit – NEA Direct Investment, ASPire, and The Vanguard Group, but I am not sure if any of the other 47 or so providers would also be a qualified option. Second: I actually did not enroll in a 403 b retirement plan because I was wary of the options and the pitches by the salesmen (I also have a Roth IRA, so I was content contributing to that). Upon reading the posts on the forum, I also confirmed with my employer my eligibility for a 457 b plan. Although, I feel that I only have enough at the moment to max out my Roth IRA contributions, I wanted to find out whether it would be best to contribute to a 403 b or a 457 b (in case I was able to save above the $5,500 I already set aside to the Roth account). Would you recommend the 403 b or the 457 b plan and what aspects of each plan would I need to consider the most in making my decision? *I have attached the 457 b plan options and fees. My current retirement plans are the following: · Teacher Retirement System (TRS) – Defined benefit retirement plan (pension trust) (member contribution is 7.7% of creditable compensation) · Vanguard S&P 500 Index ETF (VOO) – Expense ratio: 0.04% · Vanguard Target Retirement 2055 Fund Investor Shares (VFFVX) – Expense Ratio: 0.15% If you need additional information, please feel free to let me know. Thank you in advance! Texas 457 Investment Options.pdf Texas 457 Investment Fees.pdf