Retirement Rollover Ready? Rules, Risks, and Rewards of 401k and IRA Transfers

NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast

Learn the pros, cons, and methods of rolling over retirement accounts to simplify your finances so you can avoid costly mistakes.

How can you budget smarter for the holidays? Does it make sense to combine retirement accounts from previous jobs into one? What are the benefits and drawbacks of different rollover options? Hosts Elizabeth Ayoola and Sara Rathner begin the episode with a discussion of holiday budgeting, offering tips and tricks on avoiding impulsive spending, setting clear financial priorities, and the importance of delayed gratification.

Then, hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner discuss retirement account rollovers and key considerations to help you streamline your retirement savings and avoid penalties. They begin with a discussion of rollover basics, with tips on direct vs. indirect rollovers, how to avoid unexpected costs, and how to choose between an IRA and a Roth IRA. Credit Card Nerd Jae Bratton joins Sean and Sara to discuss her own experiences with retirement rollovers. They discuss the pros of consolidating accounts, the financial security it can offer, and how to choose the right investment options to suit your retirement goals.

Interested in consolidating your old retirement accounts? Our investing writers broke down the best IRA accounts for hands-on or hands-off investors: https://www.nerdwallet.com/best/investing/ira-accounts

And the best Roth IRA accounts categorized by online brokers or robo-advisors: https://www.nerdwallet.com/best/investing/roth-ira-accounts

In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: holiday budgeting, retirement rollovers, financial management, impulsive online shopping, retirement account rollovers, direct rollovers, indirect rollover, IRS penalties, Roth 401k, Roth IRA, 403b, traditional IRA, tax compatibility, retirement savings, financial priorities, budgeting tips, holiday spending mistakes, investment flexibility, IRA options, consolidating accounts, retirement planning, contribution limits, managing finances, budgeting strategies, simplifying retirement accounts, retirement account consolidation, and financial goals.

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email [e-mail].

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