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401(k) Rollover in Alpharetta, GA
Move Your Old Plan Without the Tax Traps
Leaving a job means deciding what happens to your old 401(k). One wrong step can trigger a tax bill that a direct rollover would have avoided entirely.
Fee-Only • Fiduciary • Independent RIA • CFP®, ChFC® • 30+ Years Serving North Atlanta
The Choice That's Easy to Get Wrong
When you leave an employer, your old 401(k) doesn't have to move anywhere right away, but if you do move it, how you do it matters. A direct rollover sends the money from your old plan to your new account without ever passing through your hands. An indirect rollover sends you a check, withholds 20% for taxes automatically, and starts a 60-day clock to deposit the full original amount or face a tax bill. At Daner Wealth Management, we help high-income professionals and executives in Alpharetta, Roswell, and Johns Creek move an old 401(k) the right way.
When to Start This Conversation
You may be ready for this conversation if you've recently left a job or are planning to, if you're deciding between rolling into an IRA versus a new employer's plan, or if your old 401(k) holds employer stock and you want to know whether that changes your options. It's also worth checking if you have an old plan from years ago sitting untouched. Industry research estimates tens of millions of forgotten 401(k) accounts nationally, often because a job change happened and the old plan was never addressed.
Our Process
We start with a conversation about your old plan's details and your broader financial picture. From there, we help you think through:
- Choosing a Direct Rollover. A direct, trustee-to-trustee transfer avoids the mandatory 20% withholding and the 60-day deadline entirely. We help you request it correctly the first time.
- Weighing Your Destination Options. Rolling into an IRA usually means more investment flexibility. Rolling into a new employer's plan keeps the money in a 401(k) structure, with its own contribution and investment considerations. Each option has tradeoffs worth thinking through before you decide.
- Checking for Net Unrealized Appreciation. If your old plan holds appreciated employer stock, rolling it into an IRA may give up a strategy called NUA that can tax the appreciation at capital gains rates instead of ordinary income rates. This is worth a conversation before you move anything, especially if equity compensation has been part of your pay.
- Addressing an Outstanding Plan Loan. If you have a loan against your 401(k) and leave your job, the balance can become taxable if it isn't repaid or rolled over within the timeline your plan allows. This is worth addressing before you leave.
- Deciding Whether a Roth Makes Sense. Rolling a traditional 401(k) into a Roth account is a taxable event. We help you think through whether that fits alongside broader Roth conversion planning.
- Helping Your Money Actually Get Invested. Research from Vanguard has found that a large share of rollover IRAs sit entirely in cash for years after the transfer, often because the account holder assumed the custodian would invest it automatically. We build an investment plan for your rolled-over funds as part of the process.
- Being Transparent About Our Own Incentives. Recommending that you roll assets into an account we manage is considered a conflict of interest under fiduciary rules, since it can increase our fee. As your fiduciary, we tell you this directly and document why a rollover serves your interest.
As a fiduciary, every recommendation is built around your interests, not a product. We don't earn commissions tied to where you roll your account.
We don't charge by the service or take commissions on products we recommend. As a fee-only firm, we charge an all-inclusive percentage of assets under management, generally 0.75%–1.25% annually, so our only incentive is doing right by your plan. We'll walk you through exactly what that means for your situation before you commit to anything.
Why Choose Daner Wealth Management
Marc Daner, CFP®, ChFC®, has helped clients move retirement accounts correctly as part of a full financial picture for more than 30 years. As an independent, fee-only fiduciary, we're required by law to act in your best interest, not selling products or earning commissions. We explain your options in plain language and stay with you as your plan evolves.
Talk to Marc
If you've left a job and aren't sure what to do with your old 401(k), we'd welcome the conversation before you move anything. Schedule a consultation with Marc Daner to talk through your options.
FAQs
Get your questions answered about our 401(k) rollovers.
A direct rollover moves money from your old plan to your new account without it ever coming to you, and it avoids withholding entirely. An indirect rollover sends you a check with 20% already withheld for taxes, and you have 60 days to deposit the full original amount, including the withheld portion, or the shortfall becomes taxable income.
No. In many cases you can leave it with your former employer's plan, though your options for managing it may be more limited than with an IRA or new employer plan. We help you weigh whether moving it makes sense for your situation.
The outstanding balance can become taxable if it isn't repaid or rolled over within the timeline your plan allows. This is worth addressing before you leave.
Yes, but it's a taxable event, since you're moving pre-tax money into an account that grows tax-free. We help you think through whether that makes sense as part of your broader tax picture.
Not necessarily, and this is a bigger problem than most people realize. Research has found that a significant share of rollover IRAs remain sitting in cash for years, often because the account holder assumed it would be invested automatically or felt overwhelmed by the options. We build an investment plan for your funds as part of the rollover itself.
