401k and other boring stuff
Feb. 15th, 2006 05:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mamajoan(Those who are on my flist and read my locked posts know that I have been working with a financial planner recently. For various reasons, most of my posts about that have been and will continue to be locked. But this one's pretty safe so I'm leaving it open.)
One of the last things on my list of info to get for the financial planners was a statement about my 401(k) from my previous job. Well, I haven't looked at or touched that account in ages, and all I really had was a vague memory that recently when the company got bought out it switched all 401(k) accounts to a different holder. I couldn't find any of that info at home, perhaps because my filing system is somewhat faulty (my filing system boils down to "open it, read it, toss it on a pile somewhere"). I asked a current coworker who was also a coworker at that previous job, but he didn't know because he, very sensibly, moved his 401(k) out of there soon after leaving the job.
So I called HR at the company, which of course is really HR at the bigger company that bought it out, and after leaving two messages I got a call back. The nice lady gave me the name and website of the company that now manages their 401(k) stuff. I went to the site, put in my SSN and date of birth, and voila, there's my account.
I was surprised to find that I have over $15,000 in that account. I thought it would be less. I know it used to be a lot more, before the stock market's mini-crash in the last few years, alas. That means that between my two 401(k)s I have over $25,000. If only there were anything useful (and not stupid) that I could actually do with that money now! ;) Ah well.
The nice HR lady also gave me the number of the company that handled their stock transition. Last year, when the company I used to work for got bought out, I got some cash for my stock options, and I have to factor that into my tax return for this year. I got a statement from them that shows how much I received for the stock, but what I don't have is how much I originally paid for it, when I exercised my options upon leaving the company. Yeah, you'd think that might be important information that I would have held onto somewhere, but see above re my filing system or lack thereof. I am sure I have that information SOMEWHERE, but on the whole it will probably be easier to call the company and ask them. Anyway, so the HR lady gave me the phone number, and I'll probably call them tomorrow. I'd like to get my taxes filed asap because I do expect a refund, even if it'll only be a smallish one.
Sorry so many of my posts are about money lately. It's kind of on my mind.
One of the last things on my list of info to get for the financial planners was a statement about my 401(k) from my previous job. Well, I haven't looked at or touched that account in ages, and all I really had was a vague memory that recently when the company got bought out it switched all 401(k) accounts to a different holder. I couldn't find any of that info at home, perhaps because my filing system is somewhat faulty (my filing system boils down to "open it, read it, toss it on a pile somewhere"). I asked a current coworker who was also a coworker at that previous job, but he didn't know because he, very sensibly, moved his 401(k) out of there soon after leaving the job.
So I called HR at the company, which of course is really HR at the bigger company that bought it out, and after leaving two messages I got a call back. The nice lady gave me the name and website of the company that now manages their 401(k) stuff. I went to the site, put in my SSN and date of birth, and voila, there's my account.
I was surprised to find that I have over $15,000 in that account. I thought it would be less. I know it used to be a lot more, before the stock market's mini-crash in the last few years, alas. That means that between my two 401(k)s I have over $25,000. If only there were anything useful (and not stupid) that I could actually do with that money now! ;) Ah well.
The nice HR lady also gave me the number of the company that handled their stock transition. Last year, when the company I used to work for got bought out, I got some cash for my stock options, and I have to factor that into my tax return for this year. I got a statement from them that shows how much I received for the stock, but what I don't have is how much I originally paid for it, when I exercised my options upon leaving the company. Yeah, you'd think that might be important information that I would have held onto somewhere, but see above re my filing system or lack thereof. I am sure I have that information SOMEWHERE, but on the whole it will probably be easier to call the company and ask them. Anyway, so the HR lady gave me the phone number, and I'll probably call them tomorrow. I'd like to get my taxes filed asap because I do expect a refund, even if it'll only be a smallish one.
Sorry so many of my posts are about money lately. It's kind of on my mind.
