401K question - embarrassed that i don't know answer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not the OP. No statements for me...not even while I was in residency...(they don't teach these things in medschool...)...I just assumed it was something tied to my SSN...I never declared it in filing taxes either...(turbo tax never told me so--> this is how much of a financial genius I am!)

Are you sure you were contributing to a 401k account? Did you set aside a percentage of your paycheck to go into the account?

[Anonymous]

Goodness Dr Carson, first foreign policy and now personal finance? Stick to medicine please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not the OP. No statements for me...not even while I was in residency...(they don't teach these things in medschool...)...I just assumed it was something tied to my SSN...I never declared it in filing taxes either...(turbo tax never told me so--> this is how much of a financial genius I am!)

Are you sure you were contributing to a 401k account? Did you set aside a percentage of your paycheck to go into the account?

I'm the PP you are referring to...Yes, because I remember the hospital was matching it 3%. I just want to know what I'm going to ask HR (following the advice of this thread)

Dear XXYY,

I was a resident from 2008 to 2012. I am interested in what became of our 401K accounts. Would you have a record of this? I specifically need the investment company and the account number, so I can roll over to my current employer's 401K...Thank you...

Sincerely,
Dr. I-may-not-get-401Ks-but-I-can-still-get-a-hematoma-out-of-your-cranium

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Goodness Dr Carson, first foreign policy and now personal finance? Stick to medicine please.

Ha!

[Anonymous]

OP, is it possible that you did not stay long enough in your prior jobs to "vest" in their retirement plans? Some employers only let you keep the contributions they make if you stay in their employ for a certain period of time, usually 2-5 years. If you have no recollection of EVER getting statements, perhaps you did not stay long enough to be vested.

Before you call their HR people you might look at their websites. Most decent-sized employers have at least some info about benefits and whether there is a vesting period on their public websites.

[Anonymous]

OP, I worked at a number of different hospitals as well. Some that are university-affiliated or owned may have a TIAA-CREF account. One I worked at had a 403b. The other a 401k.
My former employer that did TIAA-CREF sent notices to all inactive accounts from employees who had left >10 years earlier. I just rolled it into a current IRA - not a problem.

Good luck with simplifying - I need to do that too!