401k

ComEd
chiguy16

ComEd

chiguy16
Oct 20, 2019 8 Comments

Should I cash out my 401k once I leave my company? Not sure how that works.

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  • eBay
    abababbb

    Go to company page eBay

    abababbb
    No..if you cash out before retirement age you pay 10% penalty on top of taxes. You can transfer your 401k
    Oct 20, 2019 0
  • Facebook / Eng
    SK II

    Go to company page Facebook Eng

     SK II
    Do NOT cash it out!! Roll it over to an IRA, or leave it alone, or see if your new employer will let you transfer it to the new plan.
    Oct 20, 2019 0
  • New / Eng
    ᕦʕ •ᴥ•ʔᕤ

    New Eng

    BIO
    here to commiserate
     ᕦʕ •ᴥ•ʔᕤ
    Edit: added option 0)

    Short answer - (you guessed it!) It depends.

    Long answer: Read on.

    You are allowed to do one of these three things:

    0) Keep it as it is

    You are allowed to keep your old 401k account with your old employer if there are funds that are exclusive to them and you'd want your current investments to remain as is, however the management fees that your company would have previously absorbed would be passed down to you and most often, this is force rolled over to 2) as an Traditional IRA if it's below a certain limit (usually 5k). Do check with your brokerage and read the plan information.

    1) Withdraw
    2) Rollover to Traditional IRA
    3) Rollover to a new employer's 401k

    You'd choose almost never choose 1) if you are not at your retirement age like the above comment mentioned that you'd be paying penalty on top of your taxes(current income bracket).

    2) and 3) are similar - where all of the vested balance from your old account will be transferred to one of these accounts.

    If your balance is less and you'd want some flexibility in your investment strategy where you'd like to put your money to invest in stocks, bonds and funds with this money - roll it over to an IRA 2) which allows you to do that. Please do read about IRA types, limitations of how much you can invest each year and other things before you explore this.

    Lastly, if you'd like to see your 401k money that you have put aside over these years in one place(consolidation) - most certainly 3) is the way to go. I'd recommend this if your balance is substantial and you'd not want to see your new 401k grow from 0.

    In conclusion, you won't regret 3) unless you have very specific reasons to pursue 1) and 2).

    Related clip: https://youtu.be/xLyxAhEbhts
    Oct 20, 2019 1
  • Google
    bochan

    Go to company page Google

    bochan
    You can roll it over to new employer .... Consult with new employer regarding steps to do that
    Oct 20, 2019 0
  • Don’t do anything when you leave unless you are forced to. The account stays with you. You can probably roll it into your next employers account when you open it.
    Oct 20, 2019 0