Choices for Your 401(k) at a Former Employer
Adelae Winters, Wealth Management Specialist
CNC Financial Group, LLC
One of the common threads of a mobile workforce is that many individuals who leave their job are faced with a decision about what to do with their 401(k) account.
Individuals have four choices with the 401(k) account they accrued at a previous employer.
Choice 1: Leave It with Your Previous Employer
You may choose to do nothing and leave your account in your previous employer’s 401(k) plan. However, if your account balance is under a certain amount, be aware that your ex-employer may elect to distribute the funds to you.
There may be reasons to keep your 401(k) with your previous employer— such as investments that are low cost or have limited availability outside of the plan. Other reasons are to maintain certain creditor protections that are unique to qualified retirement plans, or to retain the ability to borrow from it, if the plan allows for such loans to ex-employees.
The primary downside is that individuals can become disconnected from the old account and pay less attention to the ongoing management of its investments.
Choice 2: Transfer to Your New Employer’s 401(k) Plan
Provided your current employer’s 401(k) accepts the transfer of assets from a pre-existing 401(k), you may want to consider moving these assets to your new plan.
The primary benefits to transferring are the convenience of consolidating your assets, retaining their strong creditor protections, and keeping them accessible via the plan’s loan feature.
If the new plan has a competitive investment menu, many individuals prefer to transfer their account and make a full break with their former employer.
Choice 3: Roll Over Assets to a Traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
Another choice is to roll assets over into a new or existing traditional IRA. It’s possible that a traditional IRA may provide some investment choices that may not exist in your new 401(k) plan.
The drawback to this approach may be less creditor protection and the loss of access to these funds via a 401(k) loan feature.
Remember, don’t feel rushed into making a decision. You have time to consider your choices and may want to seek professional guidance to answer any questions you may have.
Choice 4: Cash out the account
The last choice is to simply cash out of the account. However, if you choose to cash out, you may be required to pay ordinary income tax on the balance plus a 10% early withdrawal penalty if you are under the age of 59½. In addition, employers may hold onto 20% of your account balance to prepay the taxes you’ll owe.
Think carefully before deciding to cash out a retirement plan. Aside from the costs of the early withdrawal penalty, there’s an additional opportunity cost in taking money out of an account that could potentially grow on a tax-deferred basis. For example, taking $10,000 out of a 401(k) instead of rolling over into an account earning an average of 8% in tax-deferred earnings could leave you $100,000 short after 30 years.
If you have questions about which option is best for you, CNC Financial Group, LLC can help. Please call our office at (509) 663-1661.
Events & Deadlines
Latest Past Events
Community Service Day
Cordell Neher & Company, PLLC 175 E Penny Rd #1, Wenatchee2024 Shred Event
Cordell Neher & Company, PLLC 175 E Penny Rd #1, WenatcheeCNC Newsletter
Subscribe and stay informed on policy changes that could have an impact on you.
Footer Contact
Check the background of your financial professional on FINRA's BrokerCheck®
Privacy & Usage: The information on the Cordell, Neher & Company, PLLC website is provided with the understanding that it should not be substituted, in any way, for consultation with a professional Certified Public Accountant, accountant, tax, legal or other competent advisor. Cordell, Neher & Company, PLLC makes every attempt to ensure that the information contained on their websites are obtained from reliable sources, but is not responsible for any errors and/or omissions or from the results obtained from the use of any information. This site contains links to servers maintained by other organizations. Cordell, Neher & Company, PLLC cannot provide any warranty regarding the accuracy or source of information found on any of these servers, the content of any file the user might use to download from a third-party site, and is not responsibility for the content found on any of these servers or for any links these servers maintain with other servers.
Avantax affiliated advisors may only conduct business with residents of the states for which they are properly registered. Please note that not all of the investments and services mentioned are available in every state. Securities offered through Avantax Investment ServicesSM, Member FINRA, SIPC, Investment Advisory services offered through Avantax Advisory ServicesSM,Insurance services offered through an Avantax affiliated insurance agency. 3200 Olympus Blvd., Suite 100 Dallas, TX 75019 972-870-6000.
Avantax financial professionals may only conduct business with residents of the states for which they are properly registered. Please note that not all of the investments and services mentioned are available in every state. Securities offered through Avantax Investment Services.SM, Member FINRA, SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Avantax Advisory Services SM. Insurance services offered through an Avantax affiliated insurance agency. Method 10® is property of Avantax Wealth Management.SM All rights reserved 2020. The Avantax family of companies exclusively provide investment products and services through its representatives. Although Avantax Wealth Management does not provide tax or legal advice, or supervise tax, accounting or legal services, Avantax representatives may offer these services through their independent outside business. This information is not intended as tax or legal advice. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation.
The Avantax family of companies exclusively provide financial products and services through its financial representatives. Although Avantax Wealth ManagementSM does not provide or supervise tax or accounting services, Avantax Representatives may offer these services through their independent outside business. Content, links, and some material within this website may have been created by a third party for use by an Avantax affiliated representative. This content is for educational and informational purposes only and does not represent the views and opinions of Avantax Wealth ManagementSM or its subsidiaries. Avantax Wealth ManagementSM is not responsible for and does not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website.
This information is not intended as tax or legal advice. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. Investments & Insurance Products: Are not insured by the FDIC or any federal government agency- Are not deposits of or guaranteed by the bank or any bank affiliate- May lose Value
Avantax Investment ServicesSM and Avantax Advisory ServicesSM are not affiliated with CNC Financial Group, LLC.
© 2024 Cordell, Neher & Company PLLC • Designed by Pixel to Press
