What Should J.B. Hunt Employees Do with Their 401(k) at Retirement?

At retirement, your money can go four directions. Each path carries a different set of restrictions, tax consequences, and planning opportunities.

Leave it in the J.B. Hunt plan. The advantage here is familiarity: institutional pricing, strong ERISA creditor protections, and no immediate tax event. The downside is a limited investment menu, less flexibility for Roth conversions, and you must still follow the plan's RMD rules. If you stay in the plan, access to your funds depends on the plan document's withdrawal provisions.

Roll to an IRA. This opens broader investment choices, easier consolidation of old accounts, and more control over withdrawal timing. You gain the ability to invest across a wider group of funds and coordinate with other accounts. The trade-off: IRA creditor protections vary by state, and you lose the age-55 separation rule benefit once money leaves the employer plan.

Roll to a new employer plan. This applies if you take another position after J.B. Hunt. Some high earners prefer keeping assets in an ERISA plan for stronger asset protection. Performance and fee comparisons matter here.

Take a cash distribution. Withdrawals before age 59½ may incur a 10% penalty on top of ordinary income tax. A large lump sum can push you into a higher bracket, trigger IRMAA Medicare surcharges, and reduce eligibility for certain credits. A partial cash-out may make sense in limited scenarios-like paying off high-rate debt or funding a business exit-but it's the exception, not the rule.

Revolutionary Wealth runs a side-by-side comparison using your actual balance, tax bracket, and goals before recommending any rollover. That's what fiduciary means in practice.

For most J.B. Hunt employees, the biggest leak in retirement money isn't poor investment returns-it's unnecessary taxes. The bottom line is that tax timing around your final working years is crucial.

Here are the age milestones that apply:

• Age 55 separation rule: If you are separated from J.B. Hunt in or after the year you turn 55, you can take distributions from that employer's 401(k) without the 10% early withdrawal penalty. This benefit does not apply once money is rolled to an IRA.

• Age 59½: Penalty-free access regardless of employment status.

• RMDs: Required minimum distributions start at age 73, increasing to 75 in 2033. You must withdraw RMDs from traditional IRAs and 401(k)s each year. RMDs are based on your life expectancy and account balance. Failing to withdraw RMDs can incur a 25% penalty. You can delay RMDs until retirement if you are not a 5% business owner.

• April 1 deadline: Your first RMD must generally be taken by April 1 of the year following the year you reach the applicable age or retire.

Take Maria's example again. If she retires in December 2027 and takes a $200,000 lump sum that same calendar year on top of her final salary and earnings, she could easily break into a much higher federal and state tax bracket. That spike can also cost her in Medicare premiums for years. A smarter approach: spread taxable events across multiple years.

The difference between pretax and Roth 401(k) balances matters enormously at distribution. Pretax money is fully taxed on withdrawal; qualified Roth distributions come out tax-free. Rolling Roth 401(k) assets into a Roth IRA can eliminate future RMDs entirely.

Revolutionary Wealth builds multi-year tax projections-often starting two to five years before retirement-coordinating 401(k) withdrawals, Roth conversions, and Social Security start dates. We monitor IRS changes, SECURE Act updates, and state tax changes annually, because what qualify as optimal strategies this year may be obsolete by next.

Saving money at J.B. Hunt is one game. Turning that balance into sustainable monthly income for 25–30 years is an entirely different one. The accumulation phase and the decumulation phase have different rules, different risks, and different games entirely.

Several withdrawal approaches exist in practice:

• Fixed-percentage withdrawals (e.g., 4% rule): simple but rigid.

• Guardrail strategies: adjust spending up or down based on portfolio performance and market conditions.

• Bucket strategies: separate near-term cash, intermediate bonds, and long-term growth assets to match your spending timeline.

You can start receiving Social Security benefits at age 62, but you must have worked and paid Social Security taxes for 10 years to qualify. You can apply for Social Security benefits while still working-though benefit reductions may apply before full retirement age. Delaying Social Security to age 70 increases your guaranteed income, which can reduce pressure on 401(k) withdrawals in early retirement.

For example, a married couple retiring from J.B. Hunt in 2028 with $800,000 combined across 401(k)s and a target income of $6,500 per month might draw $2,500 from Social Security, $2,000 from systematic 401(k)/IRA withdrawals, and keep $2,000 in a taxable brokerage account-adjusting the combination annually based on tax brackets and market conditions.

Some retirees consider products like fixed indexed annuities for a portion of their portfolio. Revolutionary Wealth analyzes whether such products fit your risk tolerance and liquidity needs before recommending them. We revisit the income plan annually to adjust withdrawal rates during market stress.

Many J.B. Hunt employees-especially owner-operators and managers-have assets beyond the company 401(k): small businesses, rental properties, or taxable brokerage accounts. An owner-operator selling a truck or small fleet around the same time as retirement may want to stagger taxable income and 401(k) withdrawals to avoid spike-year brackets. That's business exit planning meeting retirement planning in one place.

Estate and legacy planning for your family starts with something deceptively simple: naming the correct primary and contingent beneficiaries on your J.B. Hunt 401(k). The balance goes directly to the named beneficiary, bypassing probate. Under current law, most non-spouse heirs must empty inherited accounts within 10 years. Surviving spouses have more flexible rollover options.

Revolutionary Wealth coordinates with local attorneys and CPAs on revocable living trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives, all supported by a specialized retirement planning team. High-net-worth J.B. Hunt families in communities across the country may also consider charitable beneficiary designations, donor-advised funds, or qualified charitable distributions after age 70½-a form of giving that reduces taxes and supports causes you care about.

Our integrated model-financial planning, tax strategy, and estate coordination under one roof-ensures your J.B. Hunt 401(k) is not managed in isolation but as part of a complete family wealth plan.

Revolutionary Wealth is the premier choice for current and former J.B. Hunt employees who want coordinated guidance on money, taxes, and legacy decisions at retirement. That's not a phrase we use lightly-it's supported by our track record.

Financial planning has its own grammar-its own language and rules. Terms like RMD, IRMAA, and Roth conversion might as well be written in Japanese or Korean if nobody explains them in plain words. Think of what we do as preventive medicine: catching problems early costs far less than treating them later. Research from Cambridge University Press on retirement behavior confirms that retirees who work with an integrated advisor make measurably better long-term decisions.

What makes us different:

• One team, three disciplines. Wealth planning, tax strategy, and estate design under one roof-no sending you to three separate firms.

• Written retirement plans. Every client receives a detailed, written plan with 10- to 20-year tax projections and market stress tests.

• Independent and fiduciary. We are not tied to any fund company, insurer, or brokerage. We recommend rollovers-or staying in the J.B. Hunt plan-based solely on your best interest.

• Education-first approach. We believe financial education changes outcomes. We don't just tell you what to do; we help you learn why.

We serve pre-retirees and retirees who deserve more than a cookie-cutter answer. If you've left J.B. Hunt or are about to, your situation calls for a plan that's considered from every angle.

Here's a practical checklist for the final five years, designed for someone in their early 60s at J.B. Hunt today. Clear objectives and evaluating short- and long-term consequences are essential for each decision along the way.

5 years out:

• Increase 401(k) contributions. In 2026, you can contribute up to $24,500 to a 401(k). Catch-up contributions for those over 50 are $8,000 in 2026. Contributing at those levels can make a real difference.

• Check vesting status for any employer match contributions.

• Revisit investment risk level. Changing your savings behavior now gives compounding time to work.

• Gather relevant information and explore alternatives when making decisions. Maintaining an organized workspace-financial documents, account logins, beneficiary records-helps reduce distractions and improve focus.

2–3 years out:

• Request a full plan document from the J.B. Hunt benefits portal. Review every page of the text carefully.

• Meet with a fiduciary advisor like Revolutionary Wealth to run retirement projections. Set deadlines to help avoid analysis paralysis.

• Identify potential consequences and risks associated with each distribution option.

Final working year:

• Confirm your retirement date. Coordinate distribution timing to avoid stacking taxable income in one calendar year.

• Update 401(k) beneficiaries. This is a sign of readiness, not pessimism.

• Decide: stay in plan, rollover, or a combination.

First 12 months in retirement:

• Set up systematic withdrawals and a cash reserve for 12–24 months of expenses.

• Schedule an annual review with Revolutionary Wealth.

While J.B. Hunt's HR team can explain plan mechanics, only an independent advisor can build a holistic strategy that integrates the 401(k) with taxes, estate, and other assets.

Here's how a typical engagement unfolds-from first call through ongoing reviews. We listen before we recommend, and we prioritize tasks to improve productivity and avoid multitasking on your behalf so nothing falls through the cracks.

Discovery meeting: We gather information about your J.B. Hunt employment history, 401(k) balances, company stock if applicable, debts, health status, and retirement goals-whether that's travel, helping adult children, or giving back. Consider the emotional impact of decisions and seek expert advice when needed; that's the meaning of this first conversation. Evaluate how you will feel about a decision in 10 days, 10 months, or 10 years.

Planning phase: We build a complete retirement roadmap: year-by-year cash-flow projections, tax estimates, RMD forecasts, and strategies for coordinating Social Security with 401(k) withdrawals. We use technology to present this in clear visuals-not a wall of jargon. Key factors to consider in decision-making include core values and long-term goals, and that's what drives every recommendation.

Implementation: We assist with rollover paperwork, set up IRAs or Roth IRAs, select investment models, and coordinate with tax professionals and estate attorneys. We implement strategies like time-blocking to manage each step effectively. Weekly reviews of tasks help identify what created the most value and optimize processes.

Ongoing service: Scheduled reviews at least annually. We measure productivity through meaningful outcomes rather than busy work. Regular breaks in the form of market check-ins help maintain concentration and prevent mental burnout when markets are volatile. We offer proactive outreach when clients face major life events-a spouse's death, a business sale, or a move from New York to a lower-tax state.

Your J.B. Hunt 401(k) isn't just a number on a page. It's decades of work. Talk to us-we represent the kind of planning that changes outcomes. Schedule a consultation today.

Below are common questions J.B. Hunt employees ask about their 401(k) at retirement. Each answer offers practical guidance and notes when to seek personalized advice from Revolutionary Wealth.