Guides

Plain answers about finding retirement money from old jobs and after a death.

• How to find an old 401(k) or pension from a past job
  Step-by-step: list your old employers, search public filings by employer, ask the plan in writing, and use the free government tools.
• What happens to your 401(k) when the company merges or closes
  When an employer merges, sells a unit or closes, its plan is usually merged, spun off or ended. How to tell which, and where to ask.
• Small 401(k) balances moved out without asking: where they go
  Plans can pay out or move small balances of people who left. The limit is $7,000 for distributions after 2023. How to trace the money.
• How to ask a retirement plan for your records (ERISA request letter)
  What to ask for, which laws to cite, the 30-day and 90-day deadlines, and what to do if the plan does not answer.
• Retirement accounts after a death in Ohio: what the estate inventory can miss
  Workplace retirement accounts usually pass by beneficiary designation, outside probate. How executors and families find them.
• Your 457(b) after leaving a hospital or nonprofit job
  Non-governmental 457(b) plans can't be rolled into an IRA. They are paid as wages or moved by plan-to-plan transfer. How to check yours.