Old 401(k) Review Checklist

An old 401(k) can be perfectly fine, or it can become a forgotten corner of the portfolio. The issue is not that old employer plans are automatically bad. The issue is that many investors stop reviewing them after they leave the job.

This page gives you a structured review. It does not tell you where to move money, what to buy, or what account type is best. Bucko's role is education, research notes, journaling, scenario analysis, guardrails, and review workflows. Account-specific tax, plan, rollover, and legal questions should be verified with the plan, platform, or a qualified professional.

The simple version

An old 401(k) review asks: what do I own, what does it cost, does it still match the plan, who is listed on the account, and what would change if I moved it? Do not start with the rollover decision. Start with the facts.

The old 401(k) worksheet

Build one line per old plan:

• ▸Plan name and provider: employer, platform, and login status.
• ▸Current value: total balance and cash balance.
• ▸Holdings: fund names, target-date funds, company stock, stable value, bond funds, equity funds, or cash.
• ▸Costs: fund expense ratios, plan fees if visible, advisory charges, and transaction fees.
• ▸Allocation: stock, bond, cash, sector, and single-company exposure.
• ▸Beneficiaries: listed, unknown, or needs review.
• ▸Restrictions: plan rules, loan history, vesting, transfer steps, or paperwork.
• ▸Decision status: keep, research, consolidate, rebalance, update records, or verify.

Example

Say an investor has $32,000 in an old plan. Inside it: 85% equity target-date fund, 10% company stock, 5% cash. The investor's current plan and taxable account already have heavy large-cap stock exposure, so the old plan pushes the full household portfolio more aggressive than intended.

That does not mean the old plan must move. It means the account needs a review note: allocation drift exists, cash has no written purpose, costs need verification, and beneficiary records need a date-stamped check.

Rollover research questions

Before any transfer decision, write down what you need to verify:

1. ▸What investment options are available if the account stays?
2. ▸What costs apply now versus after any move?
3. ▸Would a transfer create paperwork, tax withholding issues, or account-type mistakes if handled incorrectly?
4. ▸Are there features or protections that would change?
5. ▸Who needs to review the decision before action?

Common mistakes

• ▸Making the rollover decision before comparing facts.
• ▸Forgetting cash or company stock inside the old plan.
• ▸Ignoring plan fees because the balance is not huge.
• ▸Losing login access and waiting until a crisis to recover it.
• ▸Treating the old account separately from the full portfolio allocation.

How Bucko fits

Use Bucko to store the old-plan worksheet, fee notes, screenshots, questions, review dates, and scenario comparisons. If you use Bucko tools for trading education, journaling, guardrails, or Station AI review, keep the same standard: document the plan before changing the plan.