# What Happened to Your Old 401(k)?

## Метаданные

- **Канал:** PensionBee US
- **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qcud_RaNtg
- **Дата:** 07.04.2026
- **Длительность:** 10:55
- **Просмотры:** 44,475

## Описание

There is over $2 trillion sitting in forgotten retirement accounts across America. When you change jobs, your 401(k) doesn't disappear, but it can be eaten away by fees or moved without your consent if you don't take action. In this episode of Retirement 101, Andy Hill breaks down the 2026 rules under the SECURE 2.0 Act, including what happens to balances under $7,000 and the four options you have for your old account. Learn how to track down lost funds and why rolling over into an IRA can be the best move for long-term growth and control.

PensionBee can help you consolidate all your old 401(k)s - and IRAs - into one online PensionBee IRA. Now offering a 1% match on every rollover and contribution into diversified portfolios with ETFs like SPY and MDY from State Street Investment Management, one of the world’s largest asset managers. (Terms and conditions apply)

Learn More About PensionBee: pensionbee.com/us

PensionBee helps you combine your old retirement accounts into one simple plan. For a limited time, customers will earn 1% match on rollovers and contributions into a PensionBee IRA. Terms and conditions apply.

Sources: 
Fidelity Investments, "What happens to a 401(k) when you quit a job?," 2024
NAPA, "Case of the Week: New Cash Out Limit Mandatory or Not?," January 2024
Internal Revenue Service, "401(k) limit increases to $23,500 for 2025, IRA limit remains $7,000," November 2024
Empower, "401(k) withdrawal rules: How to avoid penalties," 2024
NAPA‑Net, How Big of a Problem Are Forgotten 401(k)s?, October 2025
Internal Revenue Service (IRS), “What happens to your 401(k) or 403(b) if you leave your job?”, May 2025
CNBC, “What to know if your company changes 401(k) providers”, July 2022
U.S. Department of Labor, ERISA Advisory Council: Recordkeeping in the Electronic Age, Written Statement of Lloyd, August 2023
Employee Benefit News, “Automated Portability Can Preserve Retirement Readiness and 401(k) Balances,” April 2023
DLA Piper, “SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 – Retirement Savings Reform,” January 2023

Search Terms
What happens to 401k when you quit 2026 SECURE 2.0 Act 401k rules How to find a lost 401k 401k rollover to IRA guide PensionBee 401k rollover match Retirement planning for job changers Safe Harbor IRA explained Moving 401k to new employer Andy Hill Retirement 101 Average 401k fees after leaving job

Investing involves risk.  Andy Hill is not a PensionBee Inc. customer and received payment for this video. This post, and any associated customer testimonial or third party endorsement, is provided solely for informational and educational purposes, should not be taken as tax, legal, financial or investment advice and is not an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell any securities or investments.

Before investing, consider the funds’ investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. To obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus, which contains this and other information, call 1.866.787.2257 or visit www.statestreet.com/im. Read it carefully.

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## Содержание

### [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qcud_RaNtg) Segment 1 (00:00 - 05:00)

Where's your old 401k from your last job? If you have to think about it, you're not alone. There's about two trillion dollars sitting in forgotten retirement accounts across America. That tells me many people can't answer that question, but let's find out. Do you have any old 401k's that are at previous employers or anything like that? — do. Okay. — I have a couple of lingering ones. More of the laziness of getting it all consolidated into one. — So, there's maybe 401k's sitting around somewhere? — Somewhere. Do you know what happens to a 401k if you were just to leave it at that job? — Mhm. Um I really don't have an idea on that. Changing jobs can be stressful. New boss, new insurance, new everything. The last thing most people think about is what happens to their old 401k. The good news is that your money doesn't disappear. But, what happens next depends on how much you've saved and what you decide to do. Welcome to Retirement 101. I'm Andy Hill and my goal is to help you feel confident about your retirement savings. In this episode, we're breaking down what really happens to your 401k when you leave a job and how to make sure your money keeps working for you. There's almost two trillion dollars in forgotten or left behind 401k's across the US. That's money workers earned, invested, but left behind when they changed jobs. How does this happen to so many people? Well, employers can change plan providers and it's possible you can lose track of where your money is over time, especially if you've moved since leaving employment. Small balances of $1,000 to $7,000 can get rolled out of the plan you left it in and automatically rolled into a safe harbor IRA, which can limit growth opportunities. And last but not least, you may have meant to do something about it, but you may have just forgotten, not had the time, or never finished the steps needed to roll out because some providers make it hard to move your money out. Let's get into how to make sure you are in a good place. When you quit a job, your 401k doesn't disappear. But, what happens next depends on how much you've saved and whether you take action. Under the Secure 2. 0 Act, your old employer actually has some control if you don't make a move. If your balance is under $1,000, they can cash it out and send you a check. Minus taxes and penalties. Between $1,000 and $7,000, they can automatically move it into what's called a safe harbor IRA, which can be focused on keeping the savings intact rather than growing them. In the short term, that can be fine, but if you don't move it out, it can impact your long-term retirement savings growth. If you saved more than $7,000, you stay in control, at least on paper. But, there's a catch. Even with a larger balance, things that are out of your control can still happen if you leave it behind. Some variables include your plan sponsor can go out of business, fees can increase, plans can change, and your hard-earned money can get lost while you're focused on your next chapter. When you leave a job, you actually have four choices for your 401k. Let's break them down. Number one, leave it in your old employer's plan. This is one of the easiest options because you don't have to do anything, but easy doesn't always mean smart. You can't contribute anymore, you may pay higher administrative fees once you're no longer on payroll, and you'll have to track multiple accounts if you change jobs again and leave the old account there. Number two, roll it into your new employer's 401k. If your new company allows rollovers, this can keep your money consolidated. You still enjoy tax-deferred growth and keep everything in one account. The downside is you're limited to your new employer's investment options and provider. Number three, roll it into an IRA. This can be one of the smartest moves for people looking to be in control of their retirement savings. When you roll your old 401k's into an individual retirement account or IRA, you pick your provider, can choose your investments or preferred portfolio, and manage everything in one place. If you've had multiple jobs, you can combine those 401k's into a single IRA, so you always know where your money is, what it's earning, and have a clear view on your savings. PensionBee offers an award-winning app to help customers get a complete view into their retirement savings. Number four, cash it out. This option may be tempting, especially if you're between jobs, but unless you're facing an emergency, you should try to avoid this if you can. If you withdraw and you're under 59 and a half, you'll owe income tax plus a 10% penalty to the IRS. And you could lose decades of compound growth. It's the financial

### [5:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qcud_RaNtg&t=300s) Segment 2 (05:00 - 10:00)

equivalent of ripping out a tree instead of letting it keep growing. Now that we've talked about what you could do when you leave a job, I'm going to give you five strong reasons why leaving your 401k behind can be a mistake and the one simple move that fixes it. Reason number one, you can lose track of it. If you think, "I'd never forget about my money. " I'll give you nearly two trillion reasons why you might. That is the estimated amount of forgotten 401k assets sitting in forgotten or left behind accounts across America. Here's how it happens. You change jobs, you move, you change email addresses, your old employer changes their record keeper, notices get sent to an old address, login credentials expire, eventually the statements can stop coming, and just like that, you lose track of it. The result is a huge amount of money in forgotten 401k accounts. Reason number two, you can lose control of what happens to your money. This is where the Secure 2. 0 Act really comes into play. If you have less than $7,000, your old employer might roll it into a low-yield safe harbor IRA where your money doesn't grow or worse, if it's below $1,000, it could be automatically cashed out and you get sent a check and can be taxed and penalized. Even if you have more than $7,000, you're still a passenger. Fees can change, providers can change. Just ask Jason, a PensionBee customer. I thought my old 401k was safe, but I was wrong. It was being eaten away by fees and converted to cash without my knowledge, so it wasn't growing. I was devastated. I had lost five plus years of potential growth. Plus, I was paying unknown and uh undescribed fees. If you're not watching, decisions can be made for you, not by you. Reason number three, the fees keep ticking after you leave. When you worked there, your company might have covered the administrative costs. Now that you've left, you might lose that active employee discount. That means your account can start racking up maintenance or admin fees. It might be a half percent here or there or a flat fee of $4. 99 per month, but over time, those costs could potentially eat away at thousands of dollars and hinder your growth. If no one's paying attention, your retirement savings can be quietly working for someone else. Reason number four, you have a limited choices. When you leave your money in an old 401k, you can't add to it anymore and you're stuck with whatever investment options your former employer offers. If those funds are underperforming, too bad. Want to invest in specific sectors? You might not be able to. And finally, reason number five, I call this legacy nightmare. God forbid something happens to you. Do you want your spouse or your children to have to hunt down five different passwords for five different accounts at five different banks? Leaving your accounts scattered creates a chaotic mess for the people you love. Rolling it into an IRA puts you back in charge. So, whether your balance is $1,000 or $100,000, the message is the same. Don't leave your money behind. The solution could be as simple as an IRA rollover. By rolling over your old 401k's into an IRA, you solve all five problems at once. An IRA gives you full control. You choose your investments, manage your costs, and combine every old account in one place with one login. You can even keep growing it while you're in between jobs. This way, your retirement savings moves with you, stays tax-deferred, and keeps compounding instead of sitting still. I've covered the basics, but here are a couple of questions people have recently asked me. Question, if my old employer changes 401k providers, how will I know? Usually, you'll get an email or letter, but if your address changed, you might miss it. That's why it's smart to log into your old plan once a year and make sure your contact info is up to date or roll it into an IRA. PensionBee makes it easy to consolidate old 401k's into one IRA. Question, will rolling over my old 401k into an IRA trigger taxes? No, especially not if you do a direct rollover. The money moves straight from your old plan to your IRA without ever touching your hands. So, if you only remember three things about your retirement savings when you leave a job, remember these. Number one, don't leave your old 401k behind. Things can happen that are beyond your control or expectation. Number two, rolling old 401k's into an IRA gives you control. Number three, consolidating all your accounts helps you keep your retirement

### [10:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qcud_RaNtg&t=600s) Segment 3 (10:00 - 10:00)

savings organized and working for you, not against you. Rolling your old plans into an IRA helps keep your money building and gives you control over investments and fees. PensionBee makes it easy because retirement is exactly what PensionBee does. PensionBee helps you find forgotten accounts, combine them into one award-winning app, and invest them in diversified portfolios with high-quality ETFs like SPY and MDY from State Street Investment Management, one of the world's largest asset managers. For a limited time, PensionBee is offering a 1% match on every rollover and contribution. Roll your old 401(k)s into one IRA, keep everything in your control, and let your money keep working for you, wherever your career takes you. PensionBee, a better way to IRA. Portfolios with SPY and MDY.

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*Источник: https://ekstraktznaniy.ru/video/45878*