How many jobs have you had since you were eighteen? Even if they didn’t all offer retirement plans, there’s a good chance that you’ve had at least one 401(k) under a previous employer. If you’re not sure you took care of that account when you left your job, it’s time to double-check your history for lost 401(k) accounts. Doing this is important because you may have had a job in the past where your employer contributed on your behalf even if you didn’t.
Your employer. Check through the paperwork from your old job for any information about a retirement account. If you have information about your plan administrator, contact them for account login info. You may need to contact your previous employer’s human resources department for direction, otherwise.
Your state’s unclaimed property office. Your employer may have cashed out your account if the balance was small, leaving the cash in limbo. Check MissingMoney.com—and see Chapter 3 for more details about getting unclaimed funds back.
The National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits (www.unclaimedretirementbenefits.com). You can search for plans in your name using only your Social Security number. If there’s a match, you enter your contact information so your employer or account custodian can find out what you want to do with the money.
Once you find your retirement plan, you can choose to roll it over into an account you already have, leave it in its current account, or take a cash distribution. Obviously, continuing to invest that money is your best move.