Understand the IRA rollover process
401(k) to IRA Rollover
Discuss your IRA rollover options with no cost or obligation.
Understand the IRA rollover process
Discuss your IRA rollover options with no cost or obligation.
Rolling an old 401(k) into an IRA opens the full investment menu, consolidates scattered accounts, and puts the money under your control. It also permanently gives up things only employer plans have: penalty-free withdrawals from age 55 under the Rule of 55, essentially unlimited ERISA creditor protection, institutional fund pricing that can beat retail, and the NUA tax break on employer stock. Neither side wins by default.
We put your actual plan and the actual IRA side by side — the feature table below, filled in with your real numbers — before anything moves. The consultation is no-cost with no obligation.
In a direct rollover, your savings move straight from the old plan to the receiving account — the money never passes through your hands. A check made out to you instead takes the indirect route: 20% withheld on the spot, and 60 days to redeposit the full amount.
The honest comparison, feature by feature. Green marks an advantage, red marks what that path gives up — and both columns have plenty of each:
| Staying in the 401(k)the employer plan | Rolling to an IRAan account you choose | |
|---|---|---|
| Investment choicesWhat you can hold | Plan menu onlyoften 15–30 funds | ✓Nearly unlimitedfunds, ETFs, bonds, CDs |
| FeesThe one that compounds for decades | ~Can be very lowinstitutional pricing at large employers; some plans surcharge former employees | ~You decidenear-zero self-directed to 1%+ with advisory wraps |
| Penalty-free access at 55–59½The Rule of 55 window | ✓Yesif you left at 55 or later | ✗Nogenerally 59½, narrow exceptions |
| Creditor protectionIf you're ever sued or bankrupt | ✓ERISAessentially unlimited, in and out of bankruptcy | ~Still strongfederal bankruptcy caps + state law |
| RMD deferral past 73For people still working | ✓Deferrablein a current employer’s plan | ✗Not deferrableRMDs run on schedule |
| Employer-stock NUA breakCapital-gains rates on stock growth | ✓Preserveduntil distribution | ✗Lost foreveron rollover of the shares |
| Backdoor Roth contributionsFor high earners who use them | ✓No interference | ~Pro-rata rulepre-tax IRA balances complicate future backdoor Roths |
| LoansBorrowing from yourself | ~Often allowedwhile employed, if the plan permits | ✗NeverIRAs cannot make loans |
Swipe to compare
Fill this table in with your plan’s actual numbers in a no-cost consultation — or start with the fee row yourself using our fee comparison calculator.
Every plan must send an annual 404(a)(5) participant fee disclosure — each fund’s expense ratio plus administrative charges, including any surcharge on former employees. It’s on the plan website under Documents, or the administrator must provide it on request.
Get in writing: account maintenance fee, the expense ratios of the actual funds proposed, any advisory or wrap fee, and trading costs. If an advisor recommends the rollover, ask how they’re compensated — they’re required to tell you.
Why it’s worth an hour of paperwork: by the Department of Labor’s illustration, a single percentage point of extra annual cost consumes about 28% of a balance over 35 years. Run your own gap in the fee comparison calculator. The direct rollover itself is tax-free; the initial consultation is $0.
We help you compare the existing 401(k) with the proposed IRA instead of discussing the IRA in isolation.
Cost differences can matter over time, so we make fee questions part of the conversation.
A consultation does not obligate you to establish an IRA or transfer your retirement account.
Considering an IRA for an old 401(k)? Compare the advantages, limitations, costs, and transfer process first. Schedule your no-cost consultation →
Prefer to talk? Call 435-291-5444.
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We look at your current plan, available options, and reasons for considering an IRA.
We examine account features, investment choices, costs, and other differences that may affect you.
The plan's distribution rules and the receiving account must support the intended transaction.
If you decide an IRA is appropriate, the receiving account is established before the transfer begins.
The current plan administrator provides instructions for moving eligible assets to the receiving IRA.