What Should You Do If Your Employer Suspends Your 401(k) Match?

What Should You Do If Your Employer Suspends Your 401(k) Match?

Dear Carrie: My employer recently stopped offering a 401(k) match. Ive always tried to contribute en..

Dear Carrie: My employer recently stopped offering a 401(k) match. Ive always tried to contribute enough to get the entire match, but now I am in a bit of a cash crunch and wonder if it makes sense to keep contributing. Is it still worth it?—A Reader

Dear Reader: Youve probably heard me say many times that specific financial advice depends a lot on your individual circumstances. And this question certainly fits that category.

The pandemic has had a major economic impact on employers as well as individuals. According to a national survey by the Plan Sponsor Council of America, more than 20 percent of large organizations had already suspended matching 401(k) contributions as of April. So, youre not alone, and Im quite sure millions of Americans are asking themselves the same question.

To me, saving for retirement should be a universal priority. The beauty of a 401(k) is that it offers tax advantages and makes regular contributions seamless. Having a match on top of that is icing on the cake—but not having it doesnt negate the other benefits.

Heres where your own circumstances come in. When money is tight, you may have to rethink and reprioritize. You dont want to jeopardize your future, but you also dont want to make imprudent decisions, like racking up a huge credit card bill or defaulting on other commitments, in order to continue contributing.

On the other hand, if your budget still allows you to make regular contributions, you definitely should. In fact, as counterintuitive as it may seem, now could be the time to increase your contribution to make up for the lost match. (Its possible youve been undercontributing all along!)

Its kind of a balancing act. So before you make a decision, there are a number of things to consider.

Start With These Questions

While your present situation always impacts the way you plan for the future, in times like these, you may need to take an even closer look. For instance:

  • How stable is your job? When the company you work for, whether large or small, is looking at its balance sheet to find ways to economize, you want to be realistic about the future of the company. Are there layoffs ahead? Will there be a cutback in hours? If you think your position could be impacted, nows the time to make sure you have enough cash on hand to make it financially if your job situation changes. Which brings me to the next point.
  • Do you have an adequate emergency fund? Todays uncertainties have brought the importance of emergency funds front and center. The standard recommendation to have enough cash easily accessible to cover three to six months essential expenses may even be an understatement. If your emergency fund is less than adequate, building it up should be a primary focus. Look at your budget. Can you redirect some dollars to this important fund? If theres no other way to do it, you could reassess how much youre currently contributing to your 401(k) in order to balance present financial stability with future security.
  • Have your savings to date been adequate? A common employer match is 50 cents on the dollar for the first 6 percent of your salary. This means that if youve only been contributing up to the match, youve been contributing 9 percent between you and your employer. Thats good but below the 10 percent to 15 percent that I recommend for someone in their 20s (an older person just beginning to save may need to contribute even more). If youre behind in your savings already, youll likely have to work even harder in the future to catch up.
  • How close are you to retirement? This is a crucial question. If youre far from retirement, you may feel like you have plenty of time ahead to save. But the reality is that the earlier you start saving—and the more aggressively you save—the more time you have to benefit from potential market appreciation and compound growth. Stop saving now and youve lost the power of time. Conversely, if youre close to retirement and you still have a way to go to meet your savings goal, every dollar you save now is essential.

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