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February 18, 2026

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One in Four Americans Can’t Name Their Retirement Provider as Dormant Accounts Surge

PensionBee
5 minute read

A new study by PensionBee reveals a growing disconnect between Americans and their retirement savings.

25% of U.S. adults cannot confidently name the institution that manages their retirement. This lack of awareness coincides with a sharp rise in "forgotten" accounts. PensionBee estimates that more than 30% of workplace accounts, such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s, are now dormant, a significant jump from 21% in 2012.

“Once you choose to leave a 401(k) behind, it becomes much harder to track fees and investments, or to get help with your accounts,” said Romi Savova, Founder and CEO of PensionBee. “It is difficult to make informed decisions about your retirement if you don’t know where your money is held.”

Where Savers Turn for Help

The nationally representative survey* of 1,000 U.S. retirement savers highlights a reliance on traditional sources for information, despite the rise of new technology:

  • 40% consult their account provider directly when they have questions
  • 28% ask their current employer 
  • 6% seek advice from friends or family
  • Only 4% use AI for retirement queries

Let’s Make Retirement Simple Together.

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Roll over all your old 401(k)s into a PensionBee Individual Retirement Account (IRA). It takes just a few minutes to sign up.

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Most Americans "Set and Forget" Retirement 

While 57% of respondents review their asset allocation quarterly, a significant portion of the population is disengaged:

  • 31% check their money only once or twice a year.
  • 9% "never" review their allocation or do so only every three years.
  • 55% have never consolidated old accounts, leaving savings scattered across multiple providers.

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“Active engagement is one of the best ways to remain on track for a happy retirement,” added Savova. “Periodic health checks can help you minimize the likelihood of paying too much in fees and make sure your accounts are well allocated against your timeline.”

Without regular intervention, left-behind accounts face two major risks:

  1. Asset misallocation: Portfolios can become too aggressive or conservative over time, deviating from a saver’s actual risk tolerance and timeline. Checking in every few months can help prevent this. 
  2. Automatic rollover: Dormant accounts at or under the $7,000 threshold face the additional risk of being automatically rolled over into a Safe Harbor IRA. These cash-like vehicles may stagnate or shrink rather than grow with the market.

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Survey Methodology

Participation Details: An online survey was gathered and sent out by email to respondents between December 22nd, 2025, and January 14th, 2026. The survey represents a total of 1,000 American retirement savers age 18 and older. The sample was provided by Attest, a research panel company. The margin of error for total respondents is +/-3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Participation in the survey was voluntary. Respondents were free to decline participation or skip any questions they chose not to answer. Participants were not required to be PensionBee clients to participate and did not receive compensation for participation.

The information provided in this announcement, including any projections for investment returns and future performance, is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investments carry risk, including the potential loss of principal. PensionBee is not liable for any losses or damages arising from the use of this information. Projections and forecasts are based on assumptions and current market conditions, which are subject to change.

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*Product images, figures, and projections used are hypothetical, for marketing purposes only, and do not represent actual customer returns.

1 - This PensionBee customer received a one time cash payment for their testimonial.

Options on Rollovers
A rollover is not your only option for an old 401(k) or IRA, you may alternatively decide to leave your assets with your former employer, rollover your plan to a new employer or to cash in your old plan with the resulting tax penalties applied.  PensionBee Inc. does not provide tax advice or individual recommendations as to which of these options is most appropriate for your individual circumstances.  To understand the implications of each of the options available to you and help you decide between them you may wish to consult a tax professional who has knowledge of your individual circumstances. For more information see FINRA - Retirement Accounts.

‍Our collaboration with State Street Investment Management
State Street is not involved in the management of the strategies and accounts offered to you by PensionBee. State Street and its affiliates are not your investment adviser and are not a fiduciary with respect to you or your account. PensionBee is independent of State Street. State Street is not recommending or endorsing PensionBee or making a determination of the suitability or appropriateness for any individual products or investment strategies offered by PensionBee, including those described herein. Standard & Poor's®, S&P® and SPDR® are registered trademarks of Standard and Poor’s Financial Services LLC (S&P); Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (Dow Jones); and these trademarks have been licensed for use by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (SPDJI) and sublicensed for certain purposes by State Street Corporation. State Street Corporation’s financial products are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones or S&P, their respective affiliates and third party licensors and none of such parties make any representations regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s) nor do they have any liability in relation thereto, including for any errors, omissions or interruptions or any index.

The SPDR® S&P500 ETF®, SPDR® S&P MIDCAP 400® ETF, SPDR® Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF are exchange traded funds with the investment objective to correspond to the price and yield performance of the S&P 500® Index, S&P®MidCap 400®IndexTM and Dow Jones Industrial AverageSM. The shares of the SPDR® S&P 500® ETF, S&P MIDCAP 400® ETF, SPDR® Dow Jones® Industrial Average ETF represent individual ownership interest in the Trust’s portfolio.

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Trustpilot Scores
Trustpilot is a consumer review platform. Trustpilot scores shown in PensionBee Materials are a result of reviews collected from PensionBee customers in the UK between 2016 and 2025 scoring PensionBee’s UK pension products. Customers were not compensated to give a review. The score has always been 4.5 or higher.

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PensionBee Inc. (Delaware Registration Number SR20241105406) is located on 85 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004.

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