By L. Jennings Law | Estate & Wealth Planning Attorneys
You’ve spent a lifetime working, saving, and providing for your family. But when it comes to what happens after you’re gone, most people overlook one of the most powerful estate-planning tools they already own: their retirement accounts.
The laws governing 401(k)s, IRAs, and Roth IRAs aren’t just about investing — they’re about control, taxes, and legacy. At L. Jennings Law, we help families use those laws to simplify their financial lives and strengthen their estate plans through two powerful strategies:
(1) consolidating old retirement accounts and
(2) strategically converting to a Roth IRA.
The Hidden Estate Problem of Scattered Accounts
Every time you change jobs, a new retirement account is born — and an old one gets forgotten.
It’s common to meet new clients with four or five 401(k)s, a 403(b) from years ago, and an IRA they opened themselves. When those accounts stay scattered, they cause real estate-planning headaches:
- Conflicting beneficiary designations. Your will doesn’t control who inherits a 401(k); the beneficiary form does. If that form is outdated, your plan can bypass your trust entirely.
- Administrative chaos for your heirs. Multiple custodians, statements, and withdrawal rules make settlement expensive and time-consuming.
- Missed tax opportunities. Different accounts may have different tax treatments, limiting your flexibility in managing future distributions.
Example: Susan, a retired nurse, passed away with four old employer plans. Each listed a different beneficiary — one even named her ex-husband. Her children spent months sorting through red tape that could have been avoided with one properly titled IRA.
The fix: consolidate those accounts into a single, attorney-supervised IRA that’s properly titled and aligned with your estate plan.
Rollovers Simplify and Protect
A rollover moves your retirement savings from an old employer plan into an IRA you control. When done directly (trustee-to-trustee), it’s a non-taxable event under federal law — no penalties, no withholding, no surprises.
Why the law encourages rollovers:
- It keeps your money in retirement accounts instead of taxable cash.
- It lets you preserve tax-deferred growth.
- It puts you — not a former employer — in control.
From an estate perspective, a rollover IRA is the cleanest foundation for long-term planning because it allows:
- Consistent beneficiary designations across all assets.
- Coordination with trusts — ensuring the right beneficiaries receive the right assets, at the right time.
- Simplified required minimum distributions (RMDs) that can be aggregated and planned for in one place.
Example:John and Mary consolidated three old employer plans into one IRA titled under their joint revocable trust. When John passed, Mary immediately continued the IRA without delay, and their successor trustee had one account to manage for their children — not five.
Roth Conversions: Estate Planning’s Most Overlooked Tool
A Roth conversion takes this strategy one step further. It allows you to move money from a pre-tax account (401(k) or traditional IRA) into a Roth IRA, pay taxes now, and let that money grow tax-free forever.
For estate planning, the Roth is powerful because:
- No required minimum distributions during your lifetime — more assets stay intact for heirs.
- Tax-free inheritance — your beneficiaries receive distributions income-tax-free.
- Predictability — future tax law changes won’t affect what’s already converted.
The SECURE Act changed how inherited IRAs work. Most non-spouse beneficiaries must now withdraw the entire balance within ten years, creating large taxable events. A Roth IRA eliminates that problem: your heirs still must withdraw the funds, but those withdrawals are tax-free.
Example:Kevin and Lisa converted a portion of their traditional IRA to a Roth each year between ages 60 and 67. By the time they retired, much of their savings was tax-free — and their children won’t face a tax bomb under the SECURE Act’s ten-year rule.
Integrating Rollovers and Conversions Into Your Estate Plan
When properly coordinated, rollovers and Roth conversions do more than improve investments — they make your estate plan work the way it’s supposed to.
At L. Jennings Law, we review:
- Beneficiary forms and align them with your trust language.
- Tax timing to identify the most efficient conversion years.
- Distribution standards (such as HEMS or discretionary trusts) to ensure inherited IRAs comply with IRS rules and your intent.
- Creditor protection and state exemptions so your retirement assets remain secure.
The result: a retirement and estate plan that’s simple, tax-smart, and future-proof.
The Legal Edge: Why Work With an Attorney
Rollover and Roth decisions are governed by IRS and ERISA rules — and once executed, they can’t be undone. That’s why professional oversight matters.
As estate-planning attorneys, we don’t just look at investment performance. We interpret how each decision interacts with your trust, your taxes, and your family legacy.
We coordinate directly with your financial advisor or custodian to ensure every document, designation, and conversion is legally sound and strategically timed.
Ready to Simplify and Strengthen Your Legacy?
Consolidating your retirement accounts and exploring Roth conversions isn’t just about investments — it’s about stewardship and foresight.
It’s about creating order out of complexity, protecting your heirs from unnecessary taxes, and giving your family a legacy that’s simple to manage and built to last.
Schedule your Rollover and Roth Estate Review with L. Jennings Law today.
Let’s make sure your wealth — and your wishes — are protected under one clear, legally sound plan.
