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Swiss Retirement Account

I am interested in rolling over some of my 401k money (U.S.) into a Swiss retirement account. The reason being, I would like to then be able to withdraw a certain amount of it from the Swiss retirement account. A friend of mine said that Swiss retirement accounts do not penalize for early withdrawal. Does anyone have any information on this? (And how large would the sum have to be?) If this is not the case, does anyone know what I could roll some of this money into for withdrawal purposes, that won't penalize me?

Comments

  • dunstonh
    dunstonh Posts: 121,241 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    This is a UK site. American rules are different to the UK/European rules.
    I am an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). The comments I make are just my opinion and are for discussion purposes only. They are not financial advice and you should not treat them as such. If you feel an area discussed may be relevant to you, then please seek advice from an Independent Financial Adviser local to you.
  • Cook_County
    Cook_County Posts: 3,096 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    It is not possible to roll a US 401(k) to a Swiss plan because a US qualified plan, such as a 401(k) can only be rolled over to a US qualified plan.

    You would have to withdraw and pay US taxes on the withdrawal (over and above any basis in the plan) plus a penalty for early withdrawal.

    You should take independent financial advice as to whether this is still a good plan from an investment perspective. Knowing where you are domiciled will be part of the information required by your IFA. There are several good IFAs who are familiar with the interaction of US retirement plans and investments for UK residents, but they may be tricky to locate.
  • Yea...I know this is a UK site. I just thought someone might know. And thanks for the info Cook.
    -Poo-
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