Despite the financial toll of the coronavirus pandemic, few American households have raided their 401(k) retirement accounts to make ends meet. Faced with the prospect of surging unemployment and a declining economy, Congress in March passed a law that temporarily allows Americans to use their retirement money today. However, unlike expectations, so far, there hasn’t been a rush of funds out of accounts.
Research reported by the Wall Street Journal revealed that of those eligible to take money out of their accounts, many did not proceed to pull funds from their 401(k)s for various reasons. The withdrawal rates were much lower than anticipated back in April which raises an interesting topic regarding the state of the market over the last few months.
Given the wild ride we’ve had the last 6 months with the coronavirus pandemic, the election, and now positive vaccine news, the markets have seen a great deal of volatility. It’s been interesting to see how these events have either helped or hurt people as they’ve been trying to gauge the market and in turn buy or sell off parts of their portfolio. While the coronavirus began to surge as the election played out, many may have panicked and sold off a great deal of their stocks even though after-the-fact stocks are the highest they’ve been following a presidential election in many years.
Although this new law passed by Congress has allowed for the potential to pull funds from 401(k)’s, it’s been interesting to see the result and the fact that many have refrained, which could mean that some have had sufficient emergency funds to help them navigate these bumpy waters. It’s important to note that building an emergency fund is very crucial and comes in handy during unprecedented times. As explained above, it’s also incredibly difficult to measure the projection of the markets, which is why it’s important to stay calm and see your investments through the long term. If you have any questions regarding your 401(k) or other concerns about your finances, please reach out to us at info@shermanwealth.com or schedule a free 30-minute consultation here.
