401 K

[whodunit1957]

I am approaching 65 years of age...I have not received any of my 401-K at this time...my questions are for saving on tax purposes:

Should I receive it in a lump sum? (To pay off my home)

Or should I receive monthly payments?

[AnthonyC CPA]

This is a personal choice however if you withdraw your entire 401 K in one calendar year this will put you in a higher tax bracket that year.  If you withdraw your 401 K balance over multiple years you would only pay taxes on the amount that you withdraw each year.  In order to make an informed decision you should look at your entire 401 K balance and see the amount of tax that you would pay if you withdraw it all in one year.  It may be more tax efficient to withdraw the balance over multiple years.

Hope this gives you some information when deciding on how to handle these withdrawals.