WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ROLLING OVER YOUR OLD WORKPLACE RETIREMENT ACCOUNT TO AN IRA MANAGED BY PENSINGER FINANCIAL?

Rolling over your 401(k) gives you greater control, broader investment options, and personalized management. At Pensinger Financial, we integrate your rollover into a holistic plan that optimizes taxes, aligns investments with your goals, and provides ongoing oversight so your retirement stays on track—all with direct, one-on-one access to a trusted advisor who knows your story, not a call-center representative who doesn’t.

  • Tax-Smart Asset Placement. We help maximize your portfolio’s tax efficiency by strategically allocating investments across tax-deferred, tax-free, and taxable accounts.

  • Technology-Driven Portfolio Oversight. We will leverage technology to capitalize on market movements. Our technology allows us to efficiently and precisely rebalance to execute trades with speed and accuracy that surpass traditional manual oversight. This approach helps keep portfolios on track, reduces emotional decision making, and enhances long-term consistency.

  • Personalized Portfolio Management. We build a portfolio tailored to your unique risk tolerance and financial goals—something generic target date funds simply can’t do. While target date funds group investors solely by retirement year, they often ignore individual risk preferences and can vary significantly in asset allocation. Our approach ensures you’re in a portfolio that truly fits you, not just your expected retirement date.

  • Expanded Investment Access. Employer-sponsored plans often limit you to a narrow selection of 20 or so investment options. At Pensinger Financial, we open the full spectrum of investments—across asset classes, sectors, and strategies—so your portfolio isn’t confined by a preset menu, but designed for your unique goals.

  • Comprehensive Retirement Management. Rather than managing just a slice of your retirement portfolio, we oversee the full picture. This broader view allows us to identify opportunities—such as when markets deviate from long-term trends—and make timely, personalized adjustments. Unlike target date funds, which are managed at the fund level, we focus on your specific account, your risk profile, and your evolving goals.

  • Hands-Off Oversight for Former Employer Plans. Rolling over an old workplace retirement account into a mix of investments within the plan often means you're left to manage it alone—without guidance, oversight, or a clear strategy. With Pensinger Financial, that account becomes one less thing to manage and one less thing to worry about. We take full responsibility for monitoring and adjusting your investments so your retirement savings stay aligned with your overall plan.

When you leave your employer and you're cleaning out your desk, don't forgot take your company's retirement plan with you (doing so might actually save you thousands of dollars, too).

Upon leaving you'll have tough decisions to figure out - how do I find my next job being your most important one. But don't forget about your 401(k) plan as it is probably your single biggest retirement account. So give it the attention it deserves and get it handled properly - your future self will thank you in retirement. If you need help reach out to us and we'll make your 401(k) transition very smooth and simple for you.

When you and your employer part ways (and it doesn't matter how you left) you have four options with your 401(k). Below is bit more information about each option.

ROLL IT OVER INTO AN IRA

You can roll your 401(k) / 403(b) into a new or an existing IRA. This involves minimal paperwork. The biggest advantage is now the money is in your personal retirement account so you will have better and more investment choices, and it might cost you less in fees, too. Less fees simply means more money for your retirement. Go here if you'd like to see us to review your plan so that you can make an informed decision. There are no taxes owed when a rollover into an IRA is done properly.

ROLL IT OVER INTO YOUR NEW EMPLOYER'S PLAN

You can roll it over to your new company’s 401(k) plan if they offer one. This involves minimal paperwork and now your plan is with your new company so you have everything in one spot and not one plan at your old job and one plan at your new job. The downside is that your new employer might not have the best investment options and/or they might have high fees. A lack of good investment choices can be very detrimental to your portfolio and high fees means less money for you. Plus your plan is at the mercy of your employer. There are no taxes owed when a rollover into a new employer’s qualified plan is properly completed.

LEAVE IT AT YOUR OLD EMPLOYER

You can leave it at your old employer, you don’t have to do anything and you just let it keep going as it was – so that’s easy to do. The downside is the same as above: your old employer might not have the best investment options and/or they might have high fees. A lack of good investment choices can be very detrimental to your portfolio and high fees means less money for you. Plus your plan is at the mercy of your employer.

CASH IT OUT

You can take the money out of the plan and get cash, but this will trigger a 10% penalty and you’ll have to pay taxes on it, too. Unless you really need the money this is a last resort and something you want to avoid. We do NOT recommend this option. If you are considering this option, we strongly suggest you have a conversation with us first.