How To Transfer A 401k To Another 401 K

Rollover To A Roth Ira

Rollovers are a great time to alter the tax treatment offered by your retirement account, such as rolling your 401 funds over into a Roth IRA. Its a beneficial choice for many retirement savers, but it may be especially appealing for people with high incomes who may not be able to otherwise save in a Roth IRA.

This type of rollover can also help you avoid required minimum distributions that come even with a Roth 401.

However, there will most likely be tax consequences. Because traditional 401 contributions are made with pre-tax dollars, you will owe income taxes on the funds you convert to a Roth IRA, which holds after-tax contributions.

When To Roll Over Your 401 To An Ira

Rolling over your 401 to an IRA is possible only if youre leaving your current employer or your employer is discontinuing your 401 plan. It is an alternative to:

• Leave your money invested in your existing 401
• Rollover to your new employers 401
• Withdrawal from your 401, which would trigger a 10% penalty if you arent 59 1/2 or older

A rollover or IRA) does not have tax consequences. This would not be the case if you do a rollover to a Roth IRA.

Rolling over a 401 to an IRA provides you with the opportunity to choose which brokerage you want to hold your retirement funds. It may be the right choice if:

• Your new employer doesnt offer a 401 plan
• You cannot keep your money invested in your current workplace plan because your plan is being discontinued or your 401 administration wont allow you to stay invested for some other reason
• Your new employers 401 plan charges high fees, offers limited investments, or has other drawbacks
• Youd prefer a wider choice of investment options

However, there are some downsides to consider:

• While 401 loans allow you to borrow against your retirement funds, no such option exists with an IRA.
• Transferring company stock can be complicated account, read up on an NUA strategy that could save you a lot of money.)

If these downsides arent deal breakers for you, the next step is figuring out how to roll over your 401 to an IRA.

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Where To Transfer Your 401

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By Justin Pritchard, CFP®

When you leave a job, you typically get to choose what happens with your retirement savings. Thats the case with most 401, 403, and other retirement plans. You often have the opportunity to take control of your savings, but you might also have the option to leave assets with your former employer.

If you decide to move the money, where should you transfer your 401 savings? On this page, well cover the most common options available when you retire or change jobs:

• Transfer to an IRA that you control
• Move to your new jobs retirement plan
• Transfer to a bank account
• Buy an annuity if you want income guarantees
• Leave the money where it is

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Reasons To Transfer Your 401 To A New Job

There are three main reasons to rollover a 401:

1. To reduce fees. If the fees are too high with your previous employers 401, rolling over a 401 can be advantageous.2. To maximize your money. If you arent happy with the investment options in your old 401 and your new employer accepts rollover 401s, you might be able to save money while investing in a broader range of investment vehicles.3. To streamline your investments. If you leave your 401 where it is, you may not think about it very often. Its important to keep tabs on all of your investments so you can make sure they are on track and appropriate for your time horizon and goals.

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Whats The Difference Between A Direct And Indirect Rollover

A direct rollover involves moving money from 401 plan-to-plan or from a 401 to an IRA, and is the recommended way to roll over an old 401. Usually, it happens in one of two ways:

• Youll contact your former employers 401 plan provider and request a check for the entire account balance made out to your new provider . Theyll send a check directly to your new company and deposit it to your new account. No taxes are withheld.
• Youll request a check in the same manner as described above , except youll receive the check directly and will be required to forward it along to your new company yourself. Again, no taxes are withheld.

An indirect rollover is a bit more complex, and can get you into hot water if you dont follow the rules very carefully.

• Youll request a check from your 401 plan, except in this case the money is paid directly to you as an individual. Taxes will be withheld.
• Youll need to deposit the full amount withdrawn, before taxes, new 401 or IRA within 60 days to avoid taxes and penalties.

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What Happens With A 401 Loan When I Move To A Different Company

Most 401 retirement plans allow you to take out loans, which usually must be repaid within five years. If you change employers, however, the clock speeds up and a loan youve taken out from your 401 may be due in full very quickly. Even worse, you may face serious tax consequences if you cant repay it.

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Hectic To Manage Multiple Accounts

As you move up the career ladder, it becomes hectic to manage the multiple 401s left with former employers, and over time, you will likely forget about some of your most precious retirement assets.

If you would like to trace your lost 401s, use Meetbeagle.com to find lost 401 accounts and transfer them to an IRA or your new employerâs retirement plan. Consolidating all your old 401s accounts helps ensure that the money is properly managed.

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Next Steps To Consider

This information is intended to be educational and is not tailored to the investment needs of any specific investor.

Recently enacted legislation made a number of changes to the rules regarding defined contribution, defined benefit, and/or individual retirement plans and 529 plans. Information herein may refer to or be based on certain rules in effect prior to this legislation and current rules may differ. As always, before making any decisions about your retirement planning or withdrawals, you should consult with your personal tax advisor.

The change in the RMD age requirement from 70½ to 72 only applies to individuals who turn 70½ on or after January 1, 2020. Please speak with your tax advisor regarding the impact of this change on future RMDs.

A qualified distribution from a Roth IRA is tax-free and penalty-free, provided the 5-year aging requirement has been satisfied and one of the following conditions is met: age 59½ or older, disability, qualified first-time home purchase, or death.

Be sure to consider all your available options and the applicable fees and features of each before moving your retirement assets.

Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC, 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917

Keep Your 401 With Your Former Employer

If youre satisfied with the performance of your 401 under your former employer, you may choose to keep it with your old company, provided the account has at least $5,000 in it. Its important to note that a 401 with less than $5,000 may automatically be deposited into an IRA in your name by the plans administrator, depending on the plan. If the account has less than $1,000, the plans administrator may send you a check for that amount.

While you wont be permitted to make new contributions to the 401 if you keep it with your previous employer, your earnings will remain tax-deferred until you take a distribution. Youll also preserve the ability to roll it over in the future.

When comparing your former companys plan to what your new employer offers, lower fees and better investment options may also lead you to keep your 401 with your old company and forgo a rollover.

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Pro #: You May Gain Flexibility

Your new employers plan may have different investment options, loan options, protections against potential creditors, or other benefits that better suit your needs than your former employers plan. If you continue working until and beyond 72 years of age, you may be excused from required minimum distributions if your new employers plan allows it.

What Is The Earliest A Federal Employee Can Retire

Generally, an employee is eligible for retirement or an employee with at least 30 years of service and 55 years under the Civil Service Retirement System or 56 months in 2022 under Federal Employees Retirement

What is the best month for a federal employee to retire?

The best time of year for employees closed by FERS to leave a job closer or better at the end of the year of resignation. Generally, this time in late December to early January anytime between December 31 and January 13, incl.

What is the earliest I can retire under FERS?

MRAs range in age from 55 to 57 years, depending on your age. The same goes for retirement under VERA, but only if you reach your MRA. The SRS will remain 62 years old, once you qualify for Social Security benefits.

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Is It Better To Roll Over A 401 To An Ira

If you like your former employers 401 plan the investment options and the expense ratios on the investments then it wont necessarily be better to roll it over into an IRA. But you may find that if you roll your 401 into an IRA, you may have more investment options. Compare expense ratios and fees to see which option is best for you.

Kaleb Paddock, a certified financial planner at Ten Talents Financial Planning in Parker, Colorado, says a typical 401 plan only has approximately 20 to 40 mutual funds available. But an IRA could give you access to thousands of exchange-traded funds and mutual funds as well as individual stocks.

Another reason might be, if you want to invest in socially responsible funds or funds that invest according to a certain set of values, those funds may not be available in your 401 or your prior employer 401, Paddock says.

But by rolling it over to one of these large custodians, youll likely be able to access funds that may be socially responsible or fit your values in some fashion and give you more options that way, he says.

Plus, rolling over your 401 to an IRA may result in you earning a brokerage account bonus, depending on the rules and restrictions that the brokerage has in place.

How To Roll Over An Old 401

8 Minute Read | September 27, 2021

Back in the old days, it was pretty common for someone to work for the same company for 40 years before retiring with a nice pension and a gold watch. Well, those days are long gone.

A recent study found that the youngest baby boomers worked 12 different jobs over the course of their careers.1 Did you hear that? Twelve! And younger generations are even more likely to look for greener employment pastures. In fact, almost a third of millennials say they would quit their jobs as soon as possibleif they could.2

But in the process, many American workers are leaving behind a trail of forgotten 401s, sometimes with thousands of dollars in retirement savings left behind!

Theres even a name for those retirement accounts that are left behind: orphan 401s. Even the name is sad! Its time to stop for a minute and think about giving the money in those long-forgotten accounts a new home.

Thats where rollovers come in.

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Investing The Money In Your Ira

Once the money is rolled over into your new IRA account, select your investments.

• Index funds: You can put index funds in your IRA, which is a fund that aims to mirror the performance of a market index such as the S& P 500.

• ETFs: These investments often make sense for many people because theyre a basket of assets, such as stocks or bonds, that can be bought and sold during market trading hours. ETFs are a good way to diversify a portfolio.

• Stocks: Individual stocks are also an investment option for IRA accounts.

• Mutual funds: These are investments that combine money from investors to buy stocks, bonds, and other assets. Mutual funds are another way to create diversification in your portfolio.

• Real estate: You can hold real estate in your IRA, but you’ll need to do so by means of a self-directed IRA.

• Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum are all examples of alternative investments you can choose.

• Target-date funds: 401s often allocate money into target-date funds, which buy shares of other mutual funds with the goal of shifting investments automatically over time as you approach a specific date, such as retirement. If you like that approach, you probably can find a similar target-date fund for your IRA at an online broker.

Those who would rather automate the investing process can use a robo-advisor for this. When you open a new account at a robo-advisor, that robo-advisors algorithms usually will select your investments based on questions you answer.

Should I Transfer My 401 To My New Job

In most cases, transferring your 401 to a new job makes sense. Its typically better to have your 401 funds in one place if the variables align properly plan at your new job, and youd like easier control over the funds).

But this is not to say there arent many instances where youd be better off leaving it as is or even looking into an IRA rollover. The only one that can truly determine if you should roll over your 401 is you if youre having trouble making a decision, you can consult with a fee-only financial planner to discuss your particular situation.

Regardless if you decide to transfer your 401 to a new job, take time to understand the pros, cons, and potential tax consequences of any decision you make surrounding your old 401.

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How To Roll Over Your 401 To A New Employer

If youve ever forgotten to roll over your old 401 to your new employer, youre not alone. A study found that as of May of 2021, a whopping $1.35 trillion in assets were forgotten in old 401 plans left behind by employees at their former employers. These accounts, totaling 24.3 million forgotten accounts, have the potential to cost an individual almost $700,000 in lost retirement income savings over the course of a lifetime according to the same study.

The administrative logistics of rolling a 401 can understandably keep people from consolidating old accounts to one, but following a few basic steps makes it easier.

How To Roll Over

Since the steps to roll over an account balance can vary depending on the recordkeeper for your previous employers plan, the simplest way to make the process painless is to call Fidelity. UC-dedicated Workplace Financial Consultants can help you through the entire process. Heres how it works:

Ready:

• Make sure you have an account statement for the retirement accounts that you want to roll to your UC 403, 457, or DC Plan account. A statement should include your account number, your account balance, and the prior recordkeepers telephone number.
• Your Workplace Financial Consultant will help you contact the prior recordkeeper for your previous employers retirement plan and request that all required paperwork be mailed or emailed to you. Then, your Workplace Financial Consultant can email or mail you a pre-filled Transfer/Rollover/Exchange Form.

Set:

• Once you receive the paperwork from your previous employers recordkeeper, follow the instructions to complete and sign all paperwork.
• Sign the pre-filled Transfer/Rollover/Exchange Form you received from Fidelity, and send it and the completed paperwork from your previous employers recordkeeper to Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 770002, Cincinnati, OH, 45277-0090.

Roll:

Once Fidelity receives your check, you will receive confirmation by email or mail, depending on your communication preference. If you have any questions during the process, call Fidelity at 1-800-558-9182.

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Option : Roll Over Your Old 401 Into An Individual Retirement Account

Still another option is to roll over your old 401 into an IRA. The primary benefit of an IRA rollover is having access to a wider range of investment options, since youll be in control of your retirement savings rather than a participant in an employers plan. Depending on what you invest in, a rollover can also save you money from management and administrative fees, costs that can eat into investment returns over time. If you decide to roll over an old 401 into an IRA, you will have several options, each of which has different tax implications.

What Do I Request On The Call

After your identity is verified, youll be able to tell the customer service representative that you want to do a direct rollover. A direct rollover is where your funds are directly transferred to your new IRA provider. It often means the check is made out in the name of that IRA provider but for the benefit of you. This is generally the simplest approach. Your 401 provider will usually ask you for the name and mailing address of your new IRA provider and your new IRA account number. We also recommend that you take this opportunity to update your mailing address since they may have an old address for you. Thats because youll be sent additional documents, including a tax-related document known as a 1099-R that tells the IRS youre doing a tax-free rollover.

An indirect rollover is where funds are first transferred to you, or a check is made out in your name. You deposit the funds in one of your own accounts, but then you have 60 days to send that money on to your IRA account if you want the rollover to be tax-free. This can create a little extra work for you which is why most people opt for a direct rollover.

Have a rollover expert on the call with you! Capitalize can handle your 401-to-IRA rollover for you and set up a call with your provider walking you through each step along the way. Get started

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