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Financial management

Helping IRA account holders maximize their retirement savings

Vanguard is expanding its relationship with Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) to support IRA accountholders.
3 minute read
  •  
July 28, 2023
Financial management
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To help more investors stay on track with their retirement goals, Vanguard and Retirement Clearinghouse, LLC (RCH) are expanding their relationship to include services to IRA accountholders. Since 2021, the two companies have collaborated as they prepare to provide auto portability services to 401(k) plan sponsors and their participants. We will now be working to help investors reconnect with small balance rollover IRAs they may have lost track of.

IRA accounts often are opened when employees change jobs, through a process known as a rollover. Sometimes, particularly when the amounts are relatively modest, investors can lose track of these IRA accounts. Investors can also forget to make decisions about how to invest the rolled over amounts, often leaving assets sitting in low-yielding cash equivalents not aligned to a retirement objective.

So, it's important when such a rollover occurs, to consider the fees and make sure the investment options are suitable to meet the long-term goals of the retirement saver. Because saving for retirement is the primary goal for many investors, an IRA account that's not properly invested or accounted for can be disappointing for the account owner, and this disappointment may lead to cashouts and forfeiture of future savings and returns.

RCH has been an IRA administrator since 2007 and specializes in helping IRA accountholders determine which options are best for them, including whether to:

  • Roll their IRA into their current employer's retirement plan if their current plan allows;
  • Consolidate their IRA into another existing IRA; or
  • Keep their savings in their existing IRA.

In certain instances, Vanguard will now be sending select small balance IRAs on our platform to RCH to facilitate investors reconnecting with their money.

Helping investors make the most of their savings is part of Vanguard's mission to give them their best chance for investment success. We aim to help IRA accountholders as well as other retirement savers enhance their overall financial wellbeing.

Related resources:

I left my job. What happens to my savings? (Vanguard Institutional page)

Commonly asked questions about 401(k) rollovers (Vanguard Personal Investor page)

The ins and outs of rollover IRAs (Vanguard Personal Investor article, issued October 2021)

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