Dear Dave,
I work for a fire department in Mississippi, and I’ve been trying to get information on the state’s deferred comp plan. No one here seems to know a lot about it, so I was wondering if I should keep looking for information or is it not worth the bother?
Brandon
Brandon,
Deferred comp simply means you are electing to defer and receive a portion of your compensation at a later time or date. People who use these types of plans have a portion of their compensation withheld and directed into an investment of some kind instead, and you aren’t taxed on it immediately. It’s sort of like a pre-tax investment, but it’s not transferrable to an IRA or 401(k).
I would only do deferred compensation after I’ve done everything else in terms of saving 15 percent of my income for retirement, including a Roth IRA. These are funded by after-tax dollars, but they grow tax-free. But I wouldn’t do any of this until after I had paid off all my debt, except for my home, and had an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses in place.
Good question, Brandon!
—Dave
* Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 11 million listeners each week on more than 550 radio stations and digital outlets. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com.
