Q I am 30 years old and have saved $65,000 in my former employer’s 401(k).  I recently switched jobs and am trying to decide where to put this money. I don’t want to roll it over into the new employer’s plan because the investment choices are not as good.  Can I roll it over into an IRA?  Why would I want to do this rather than just leave it with the former employer?
A: First, congratulations on not touching your 401(k) when you left your old employer! More than half of young workers cash out their retirement funds when they change jobs, according to Hewitt Associates research, and the damage to their future retirement security can be severe. Not only do they incur big tax and penalty bills for the early withdrawals, but they lose all the future tax-deferred returns their money could have earned.
If you want more investment choices than your former employer’s plan provides, you might consider rolling the old 401(k) into an IRA. The brokerage where you open the IRA can help handle the details. Another reason people opt for rollovers is for simplification purposes: they may have a number of 401(k) accounts with different employers, and want to consolidate their money in one place. Consolidation makes tracking your money easier and can help you reduce administrative or custodial fees, as well.
Using an IRA rather than a 401(k) has a significant drawback, however: your retirement money may not be as protected if you’re sued or you file for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy reform package just approved by Congress limits the amount in an IRA that can be protected from creditors to $1 million. If you think you’ll save more than that–and given what you’ve accomplished so far, there’s a pretty good chance you will–you might consider leaving your money in a 401(k), which is protected by federal retirement law from creditors.
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