Yes, you can but it's important to be aware that if you do roll pre-tax 401(k) funds into a traditional IRA, you may not be able to roll those funds back into an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Contact your tax advisor for more information.

Generally there must be a distributable event. The most common eligibility event is when an individual leaves the service of their employer. Other reasons may include attainment of age 59½, death, or disability. Please contact your plan to determine or not you are eligible for a distribution and, therefore, a rollover.

Yes, you can add money to your IRA with either annual contributions or you can consolidate other former employer-sponsored retirement plan or IRA assets. Some people choose to make their annual contributions to their IRA so that they only have to keep track of one account. This may be right for you if you have no desire to roll these assets back to a qualified retirement plan at a future employer. Assets can be commingled and still be eligible to roll into another employer plan in the future; however, it is at the discretion of the receiving plan to determine what type of assets can be rolled over.

No, generally you must begin to take withdrawals, known as required minimum distributions (RMDs), from all your retirement accounts (excluding Roth IRAs) no later than April 1st of the year following the year in which you turn age 73. If you wait until April 1st, you will then be required to take your second distribution by the end of that year. Check with your plan administrator to see if there are any other rules that may require the money to be taken out prior to you turning age 73. For example, many plans require that accounts smaller than $5,000 be cashed out or rolled over.

Plans have different rules and requirements for 401(k) assets. Some 401(k) plans offer equal flexibility to both current and former employees while others place restrictions on withdrawal types and frequency. For example, some plans may allow partial withdrawals while others may require that you either leave all the funds in the plan or perform a full rollover or cash payout. Please check the plan's rules for more information.