How can I find out if I have unclaimed 401k money sitting somewhere from a former employer?


Shannon

Some suggestions:

1. Contact the former employer and ask.
2. Look through your financial records to make sure your address is current with all administrators of 401(k) and IRA plans for all previous employers.
3. Every state has a program to try to reunite "lost assets" with their rightful owners. Do a Google search on "unclaimed property" together with the name of your state, and it should talk eyou to your state's website. There you can so a search to see if any financial institutions have reported you as "lost."

My previous employer was deposting in a ira for me but, I never collected. How do I get these funds?

Misti - I suspect that your employer was making contributions to a 401(k) plan, not an IRA. Talk to the administrator of the plan to find out where the funds are, how much is in your account, and how to access them. You should be receiving regular reports from the administrator, probably quarterly. You can find contact information on those statements. Post back if you're having difficulty finding who the administrator is.

My Husband has pasted away & I am trying to find out about his 401k from pak-n-save

Shellah - my condolences to you. You want to get in touch with your husband's employer to let them know of his passing. In addition to a 401(k) he may also have had a life insurance policy with his employer, or there may be other death benefits. The HR people at his employer should be able to asssist you in these matters.

You can also take a look at the most recent statement that your husband should have received regarding his 401(k) plan - there should be a contact number that you can call. Be aware hat 401(k) accounts, like IRAs, have named beneficiaries who receive the assets upon the account owner's death. These assets do not pass through probate, but rather once the beneficiary provides proof of death the ownereship is transferred to the beneficiary(or beneficiaries). When you call the 401(k) plan administrator they will be able to assist you with all this.

I have 401k when I as working at Mervyn Store in Redwood city, Ca... the store closed but I didn't claimed my 401k...

Please help me.

You need to find out who the administrator of the 401(k) plan was, and then contact them. It is most likely a bank, brokerage house, or insurance company (such as Fidelity, T Rowe Price, etc). They should still be sending you a quarterly investment report - look on the last one you received as there should be contact info on it. If you have moved without notifying them of your new address and so are no longer receiving reports, look through your old files for copies of plan documents, your enrollment form, etc. Normally I would also suggest calling the HR department at your old emoployer, but since Mervyn stores went bankrupt and was liquidated that's not possible. But if you are able to contact an old colleague or supervisor perhaps give them a call and ask if they know who administered the plan. My last suggestion is you can try the National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits (NRURB). They are responsible with keeping over 50,000 individual retirement accounts for individuals who have forgotten 401(k), profit sharing and other company sponsored plan balances that have been abandoned: https://www.unclaimedretirementbenefits.com/