Roth 401(k) Plans Take Off in Wake of PPA

For all but the most disciplined savers, however, the Roth 401(k) has an edge. That, say market-watchers, is because the vehicle lets individuals invest more on a tax-advantaged-basis: An after-tax Roth contribution of $11,625 is equivalent to the pre-tax limit of $15,500 that plan participants can invest in a regular 401(k). But Roth contributors can also invest up to the same $15,500 limit. To duplicate the Roth’s plan balance at distribution, regular 401(k) savers would have to invest their pre-tax savings–the dollars that otherwise would have been taxed under a Roth plan.

Sources says the Roth 401(k) will generally be most attractive to young plan participants who expect their incomes will rise over time. But individuals who expect to be in a lower income bracket at retirement would be better off in a regular 401(k). Those boomers who are unsure what income bracket they’ll occupy at retirement might consider dividing their contributions between regular and Roth 401(k) plans, say experts.

“The Roth 401(k) will especially appeal to savvy investors who understand the vehicle’s after-tax features,” says Barb Hogg, a senior retirement consultant at Hewitt Associates. “We’re also seeing high usage rates among first-time employees who have to make decisions about their employer-sponsored retirement plans. Among many existing employees, there is still a lot of inertia.”

In the Merrill Lynch survey, more than 13,000 plan participants (or 6% of those eligible in plans offering the option) are contributing to a Roth 401(k) account. The number of participants contributing is up 37% in the first quarter of 2008. Almost 20% of plans with the Roth 401(k) have participation rates of 10% or more. And 10% of plans have participation rates of 20% or more.

Both Hogg and Crain credit the growing interest among boomer participants in part to the development of online calculators and tools that guide them in making informed decisions about where and how much to invest. For employers, advanced software is also a must to ease plan administration.

“The Roth 401(k) entails an additional administrative burden because employers have to add a source code to their payroll identifying Roth contributions,” says Crain. “Companies have to ensure they have the appropriate technology and payroll interface so [a Roth option] doesn’t add more work. If they don’t have the technology in-house, they should look to a third-party administrator.”

They may also have to turn to Washington–and, when necessary, lobby their senators and representatives–to ensure that Congress doesn’t fiddle with the tax-free treatment now accorded Roth distributions. Given the growing prospect of a recession and reduced tax revenues, not everyone is so confident.

“There is a good deal of skepticism among the clients I talk to,” says Tom Nihoul, a certified financial planner and principal of Nihoul & Associates, a Spokane, Wash.-based financial advisory practice affiliated with Ameriprise Financial. “Many question whether Congress won’t change the tax laws to make Roth 401(k) distributions taxable.”