Answers to your most important questions about what we do
A 401(k) is a type of retirement account that’s provided by companies. You can only get it if your company provides it. Most of the contributions to it are from your paycheck, though sometimes an employer makes ‘matching’ contributions. When you leave the company you lose your ability to make contributions to it.
An IRA is short for “individual retirement account”. It’s a type of account that you can open on your own, and doesn’t depend on your employer. It’s also an account where you can transfer any 401(k) savings you accumulated at a prior job. Think of it as a big pot that you pour your 401(k) gold into over time.
Try our 401(k) search tool! We’ve compiled a database of over 60,000 employers and their 401(k) providers. Start by searching for your employer name to determine your 401(k) provider.
If we don’t have your employer on file, our team of rollover experts will help you track it down if you decide to do a 401(k) rollover with us.
A quick way to find out if you had a 401(k) is by checking your W-2 forms from previous tax returns. If you contributed to a 401(k), you’ll usually see an amount in Box 12 of your W-2 from that employer. 401(k) contributions will typically show up with letter code D.
You can also try reaching out to someone in the HR department at your previous job to confirm if you had a 401(k) plan set up.