For plan participants
Your plan. Your future. Let's make it work for you.
Education-first support for participants at any balance level. We help you understand your plan, your choices, and the next step that feels right for your financial future.
Talk with Navigant ↗Participant support
Participant Wellness and Education
We offer a guidance-based, beginning-to-end retirement solution designed to help employees create confidence in their financial life, with comprehensive engagement, education and transition services plus ongoing support.
Employee Engagement Solution
Help getting started, assistance with the enrollment process, and support consolidating retirement assets in one place so they are easier to monitor and adjust.
Employee Education Solution
A holistic wellness solution with tools and educational resources that inspire action toward saving for a healthy retirement.
Employee Transition Solution
Keep planning on track through career transitions with early separation counseling, retirement counseling, and rollover education and guidance.
Plan types
Plans we help people understand
An important decision
Plan Distribution Choices
If you have a 401(k) balance at a former employer, it can be easy to lose track of it. Changed jobs once, twice, maybe more? You may have several retirement accounts. Whatever you choose, it is important to understand the pros and cons.
Move it into your current employer's plan
Potential pros
Many people consolidate into a current employer plan for the convenience of tracking everything in one place. It may also keep retirement savings together under the plan’s rules and features.
Potential cons
Your current plan may have different investment choices, fees, withdrawal rules, and loan features. Compare the plans before moving money.
Move it into an IRA
Potential pros
An IRA can offer a broad range of investment choices and keeps the potential to compound on a tax-deferred basis.
Potential cons
Fees, investment choices, services, and distribution rules vary. An IRA may not offer the same plan features you would have in an employer plan.
Leave it in the former employer's plan
Potential pros
Leaving the account where it is can keep the existing plan features and keeps the potential to compound on a tax-deferred basis.
Potential cons
You may have one more account to monitor, and the former plan’s investment choices, fees, and service may change over time.
Take a cash distribution
Potential pros
You receive the money now and can use it for an immediate need.
Potential cons
Income taxes and an additional early-distribution penalty may apply, depending on your age and situation. Taking cash also ends the account’s opportunity to continue compounding tax-deferred.
Leaving your balance in a former plan or moving it to an IRA keeps the potential to compound on a tax-deferred basis. Many people consolidate into their current employer's plan for the convenience of tracking everything in one place. We're here to help you create confidence that you're on track to realize your financial goals and aspirations.
Consider consulting a tax professional about your situation before making a distribution decision.
A practical guide
Understanding Your Plan
A little context can make plan decisions feel more manageable. Start with the questions that are most relevant to your situation.
Contribution limits and catch-up contributions
Your plan sets annual limits on what you can contribute, and catch-up contributions may give eligible older participants room to save more. Check the current rules and your own plan’s options before changing your contribution rate.
Explore the tools →Employer match and vesting
A match can add to what you save, while vesting determines when those employer contributions become yours to keep. Your summary plan description or provider site can explain the schedule that applies to you.
Review the glossary →Naming and updating beneficiaries
A beneficiary form tells the plan who should receive your account if you die. Review it after major life changes and make sure the designation matches your current wishes.
Learn the language →Investment options and time horizon
Investment choices carry different levels of risk, and the time you have before using the money matters. A longer time horizon may allow more room for market changes, while money needed sooner usually calls for a closer look at volatility.
Use a planning tool →Loans and hardship withdrawals
A loan or hardship withdrawal can feel like a quick answer, but it may reduce long-term growth, add costs, or create tax consequences. Treat either option as a last resort and learn your plan’s rules first.
Understand the terms →Fees and expense ratios
Plan fees pay for administration and investment management. An expense ratio is the annual operating cost of an investment, shown as a percentage so you can compare what different options cost.
Browse the glossary →What to do when you change jobs
When you leave an employer, review your choices before moving a balance: you may be able to leave it, move it to a new plan, or consider an IRA. Compare fees, investments, services, and tax treatment before deciding.
Find your plan platform →Keep learning
Financial Wellness Resources
Calculators
Explore educational tools for retirement, savings, debt, and planning questions.
Use the calculators →Financial Glossary
Build comfort with the terms that show up in plan materials and financial conversations.
Browse the glossary →The Blog
Read practical perspectives on retirement, benefits, money, and financial wellbeing.
Read the blog →A clear path forward
Getting Started
01
Connect with us
We listen before recommending.
02
Engage in tailored education and planning
Clear, strategic input at your pace.
03
Move forward with confidence
Clear explanations and simple, user-friendly visuals so you understand your plan and your options.
Your next chapter
A better 401(k) experience starts with understanding.
You deserve a plan experience that feels clear, useful, and built for real life. Bring your questions—we'll help you build confidence in the choices ahead.
Platform partners
Your workplace plan may use an independent provider and platform. These partners manage the account access and plan systems you may encounter through work.
See all platform partners →