First up: you can just leave the money right where it is—like a forgotten Tupperware in your ex’s fridge. Your old 401k won’t vanish into thin air. It’ll just sit there, earning or losing money, completely oblivious that you’re no longer Tetris-packing spreadsheets for a living.
This is the laziest option. It’s the “I’ll deal with this later” special, and honestly? Sometimes that’s totally fine. You might even get some nice statements in the mail that make you feel like you’re still being paid, minus the actual paycheck and the passive-aggressive notes from accounting.
The catch? Your old company might start charging you maintenance fees, like a storage unit for your retirement dreams. Also, you can’t contribute more to it—it’s a frozen asset, like a microwave pizza that’s been in the freezer since 2019.
