What’s the first thing most people do with their 401(k) after they retire? Nothing.

What’s the first thing most people do with their 401(k) after they retire? Nasdaq closes sharply lower as major indexes fall despite solid market breadth What’s the first thing most people do with their 401(k) after they retire? Tax repercussions crop up down the road as balances build up, and RMDs get complicated When faced with too many choices in retirement, many retirees do nothing instead. /iStock Most people just leave their 401(k)s untouched for years after they retire, then some lose track of them.

That’s the finding of a new Vanguard report,“How America Retires 2026,” which documents current retiree behavior based on the large population in its orbit of the 401(k) plans the company administers, much like Vanguard’s yearly landmark “How America Saves” study. Copyright ©2026 MarketWatch, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 Alphabet’s stock just triggered a ‘death cross.’ Could the worst of the selloff be over?

The low-hire, low-fire economy turns 3 years old. Why Alphabet’s stock is on track for its worst day ever after the latest results Beth Pinsker is a financial-planning columnist at MarketWatch. She has been a certified financial planner (CFP®) since 2018.

Previously, she worked at , Fidelity and Walletpop.com. She is the author of the book "My Mother's Money: A Guide to Financial Caregiving." Prior to covering personal finance, she was a film critic and entertainment business reporter, writing for Entertainment Weekly, the Dallas Morning News and many other publications. You can follow her on BlueSky (@bethpinsker.bsky.social) or LinkedIn (@bpinsker).

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