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    NORATOM19522's Avatar
    NORATOM19522 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Sep 26, 2008, 12:06 AM
    What to do with 401K of a deceased spouse
    My husband passed away earlier this year at the age of 44. Since I am also not of retirement age, I am wondering what to do with his 401K. Can I put it into secured CD's or do I have to roll it over into an IRA? I need this money to be in a safe investment for my retirement.
    wildandblue's Avatar
    wildandblue Posts: 663, Reputation: 57
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    #2

    Sep 26, 2008, 09:44 AM

    Since you are the surviving spouse (I assume in USA) you can treat the 401K as if if were your own, and anything you could do with your own money you can do with that.
    MukatA's Avatar
    MukatA Posts: 7,110, Reputation: 176
    Tax Expert
    		  
    #3

    Sep 29, 2008, 10:53 PM

    NORATOM19522:
    You have the choices:
    1. Treat it as your own by designating yourself as the account owner,
    2. Treat it as your own by rolling over to your trad. IRA, or some eligible retirement plans, and
    3. Treat yourself as the beneficiary. You must report the distribution as ordinary income on your tax return. The distribution is not subject to early withdrawal penalty of 10%.
    jan1236's Avatar
    jan1236 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #4

    Mar 22, 2012, 11:45 AM
    My husband passed away and left a 401k, I am not sure if he had me listed as beneficiary so can you please tell me what steps I need to take.

    Thank you
    ebaines's Avatar
    ebaines Posts: 12,131, Reputation: 1307
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    #5

    Mar 22, 2012, 01:39 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by jan1236 View Post
    My husband passed away and left a 401k, I am not sure if he had me listed as beneficiary so can you please tell me what steps I need to take.
    See: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/retirement/husband-deceased-but-not-sure-if-am-beneficiary-645318.html
    faithfully His's Avatar
    faithfully His Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #6

    May 21, 2012, 10:11 AM
    My husband just recently passed away too. I autimatically became the benificiary because I was his wife. You need to get in contact with whom he has his 401 with. His job will be able to help you. That's how I got the information I needed. I hope this helps and God bless you.
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