Finance: How to Exit Your 401(k) Plan

If you've built a large 401(k) portfolio with the help of an employer kicking in shares, your biggest concern as you prepare to start taking money out may be what to do with all that company stock. The average 401(k) participant who gets a matching contribution in company shares has 55% of 401(k) assets in the stock of his or her employer, according to a recent study by the Investment Company Institute. Even those who do not get a matching contribution in company stock tend to have a lot of the stuff, having directed their own contributions that way for years.