— 401(k) and rollover planning —
Four accounts, one plan.
Reviewing employer plan options and consolidating old accounts so your retirement savings work together.
401(k) and rollover planning is the work of reviewing your employer plan options and deciding whether old accounts should stay where they are, move, or be consolidated into one plan.
What is rollover planning?
A long career often leaves a trail. A 401(k) from the job before last. A 403(b) from a stretch in education or healthcare. A current employer plan. Maybe an IRA opened years ago and forgotten.
Individually each one may be fine. Collectively they are difficult to manage. It is hard to know your real allocation when it is spread across four statements, hard to rebalance, hard to plan a withdrawal sequence, and easy for beneficiary designations to fall out of date.
Rollover planning is the review that decides what each account should do. Sometimes the answer is to move it. Sometimes the answer is to leave it exactly where it is. The point is that it becomes a decision rather than an accident of job history.
— What it includes —
What the review covers.
- An inventory of every employer plan and IRA you hold
- What each account costs you, and what investment options it offers
- Your true combined allocation once the accounts are viewed as one portfolio
- Whether consolidating simplifies your withdrawal sequence in retirement
- Beneficiary designations on every account, and whether they still reflect your intent
- Any Roth balances and how they should be treated differently
- Creditor protection and other features that can differ between plan types
- The tax consequences of each option, confirmed with your CPA
— Our approach —
Rolling over is an option, not a default.
There are legitimate reasons to leave money in an employer plan and legitimate reasons to move it. Costs, investment options, withdrawal rules, creditor protection, and access to specific funds can all differ. We walk through both sides for each account rather than assuming one answer.
Where consolidation makes sense, the benefit is usually clarity. One allocation to manage, one set of beneficiaries to keep current, one account to draw from in a planned sequence. Where it does not, we say so.
Everything starts with a Purpose Conversation, because what the money is for shapes how it should be arranged.
— Why it matters —
Scattered accounts hide risk.
Three accounts that each look reasonably balanced can add up to a portfolio that is not. Overlapping funds, an old target-date fund set for a retirement year that has passed, and a stale employer stock position are all common and all invisible until the accounts are looked at together.
Beneficiary designations are the other quiet risk. They generally control who receives the account, regardless of what a will says. An out-of-date designation on a plan from two jobs ago can override an otherwise careful estate plan.
Nothing here guarantees a result. Consolidation is an organizational improvement, and organization is what makes the rest of the plan executable.
— At a glance —
Four options for an old employer plan.
| Option | Often chosen when | Worth checking |
|---|---|---|
| Leave it in the old plan | The plan has strong, low-cost options | Costs, withdrawal rules, whether it can still be managed |
| Move it to the new employer plan | The current plan accepts transfers and is well built | Investment menu, fees, timing of the transfer |
| Roll it to an IRA | Broader investment choice or consolidation is the goal | Costs on both sides, creditor protection differences |
| Take a distribution | Rarely, and usually with a specific need | Immediate tax consequences and possible penalties |
General information only. Our firm is not permitted to offer tax or legal advice. Consult your CPA or attorney regarding your individual situation.
— Common questions —
Rollover questions we hear most.
Should I roll over my old 401(k)?
Will rolling over trigger taxes?
I have four old accounts. Is consolidating worth it?
What about employer stock in my plan?
How often should beneficiary designations be reviewed?
— Related services —
Where consolidation leads.
Investment management
Once the accounts are in one place, the allocation can actually be managed as one.
Tax-efficient retirement planning
Consolidation is often the first step toward a workable Roth conversion plan.
Estate and legacy planning
Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts usually override a will.
— Start here —
Let's see what you actually own.
There is no cost and no obligation for a first conversation.
