• Individual Investor
  • Individual Investor

Three ways to invest in Thrivent funds

We’re here to help you invest with confidence.

MUTUAL FUNDS

Thrivent Account

You can purchase mutual funds right on our site with an online account.

Invest with a Thrivent account

  • Set up an account starting with as little as $50 per month.1
  • Access your online account at your convenience.
  • Purchase funds without transaction fees or sales charges.

MUTUAL FUNDS & ETFS

Financial Professional

For guidance when investing, ask a financial professional about investing in Thrivent mutual funds & ETFs.

Invest with a financial professional

  • Receive investment help from an experienced professional.
  • Build a relationship through in-person meetings.
  • Get help planning for life’s goals such as saving and retirement.
  • Additional fees may apply.

MUTUAL FUNDS & ETFS

Brokerage Account

If you already have a brokerage account, our mutual funds & ETFs can be purchased through online brokerage platforms by searching for Thrivent Mutual Funds and ETFs.

Invest with a brokerage account

  • Add Thrivent Mutual Funds and ETFs to your investments within your existing portfolio.
  • Take advantage of your account to keep your investments in one place.
  • Additional fees may apply.

Not quite ready?

We want you to invest your money wisely and with confidence.
Here are some other options that may help you.

  • Take our quiz to determine your personal investment style.
  • Talk to your financial advisor about ETFs.
  • Sign up for our monthly investing insights newsletter.

 

Need more help?

If you need assistance, we’re here to help. Reach out to us via the phone, email, and support page information below.

 

This ETF is different from traditional ETFs. Traditional ETFs tell the public what assets they hold each day. This ETF will not. This may create additional risks for your investment. For example:

 - You may have to pay more money to trade the ETF’s shares. This ETF will provide less information to traders, who tend to charge more for trades when they have less information.

 - The price you pay to buy ETF shares on an exchange may not match the value of the ETF’s portfolio. The same is true when you sell shares. These price differences may be greater for this ETF compared to other ETFs because it provides less information to traders.

 - These additional risks may be even greater in bad or uncertain market conditions.

 - The ETF will publish on its website each day a “Proxy Portfolio” designed to help trading in shares of the ETF. While the Proxy Portfolio includes some of the ETF’s holdings, it is not the ETF’s actual portfolio.

The differences between this ETF and other ETFs may also have advantages. By keeping certain information about the ETF secret, this ETF may face less risk that other traders can predict or copy its investment strategy. This may improve the ETF’s performance. If other traders are able to copy or predict the ETF’s investment strategy, however, this may hurt the ETF’s performance. For additional information regarding the unique attributes and risks of the ETF, see the Principal Risks section of the prospectus.

1 New accounts with a minimum investment amount of $50 are offered through the Thrivent Mutual Funds "automatic purchase plan." Otherwise, the minimum initial investment requirement is $2,000 for non-retirement accounts and $1,000 for IRA or tax-deferred accounts, minimum subsequent investment requirement is $50 for all account types. Account minimums for other options vary.

Thrivent ETFs may be purchased through your financial professional or brokerage platforms.

Contact your financial professional or brokerage firm to understand minimum investment amounts when purchasing a Thrivent ETF.

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RETIREMENT PLANNING

Making sense of rollovers and transfers

Woman seated at table with laptop welcoming new employee

Key points

Life changes create opportunity

A new job or retirement creates opportunities for moving your retirement accounts without tax penalty.

Consolidating multiple accounts

With consolidation and having all your retirement assets in one place, it may be easier to manage your accounts and monitor your progress.

A simple process

Check out these four easy steps to make a rollover happen.


It happens to the best of us: you set up your employer’s retirement plan and then forget about it, or you open several different individual retirement accounts (IRAs). You go about your daily life, while behind the scenes, savings are automatically added to your employer-sponsored retirement plan, and you make contributions to your IRAs. But what happens to those retirement assets when you take a new job or decide to retire?

It might be time to consider moving those assets from your current retirement plans into an IRA with Thrivent Mutual Funds. You certainly should understand all your options, weigh the pros and cons, and make a choice which is right for your goals and circumstances.

When can I move assets?

While you can move your IRAs anytime you choose, if you experience any of the following life events, a rollover from an employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k), may be an option for you depending on the actions allowed under the plan document:

  • Job change
  • Retirement
  • Reaching age 59½
  • Disability
  • Plan termination
  • Divorce

Options for moving assets from your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored plan:

  • Direct rollover
    Your employer will have your retirement assets sent directly to an IRA or new employer plan. You don’t take receipt of the funds, so no federal tax withholding is required.
  • Indirect rollover
    You take receipt of the funds and have 60 days to deposit them in an IRA or other employer-sponsored retirement plan to avoid paying taxes and possible penalties on the distribution. This works if you need short-term funding and can reimburse your funds within the 60 days. 

Distributions from employer retirement plans are subject to a mandatory 20% tax withholding. As taxes are withheld, you must use other funds to roll over the full amount of the distribution. This is important as any portion not rolled over, including amounts withheld, will be considered a distribution and subject to income tax and generally a 10% penalty if under age 59½ unless an exception applies. Learn more about direct and indirect rollover IRAs.

Options for moving assets from one IRA account to another:

  • IRA to IRA transfer
    Transfer assets from one IRA account to another (known as a trustee-to-trustee transfer, such as from your current institution to a Thrivent Mutual Funds account) for the same type of account (e.g., IRA to IRA). Learn more about IRA to IRA transfers.
  • IRA rollover
    As with 401(k)s and similar employer plans, you can move money from one IRA to another through a rollover. This rollover can be direct, in which the current plan administrator sends assets directly to the new account, or indirect, in which the plan administrator sends a check made out to you.

With an indirect rollover, you will have 60 days to deposit the amount into a new IRA, or even back into the original IRA, to avoid incurring a tax on the distribution. Note: you can only make one indirect rollover of assets from an IRA once in any 12-month period, no matter how many IRAs you have.

  • Roth IRA conversion
    Convert one type of retirement account to another (like a traditional IRA or employer retirement plan to a Roth IRA). Part or all of the distribution may be subject to income tax. Learn more about Roth IRA conversions.

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Consolidating assets

It’s important to consider your needs and circumstances when looking to move your retirement assets. Some factors to keep in mind include:

  • Investment flexibility & fees
    Compare the options you currently have with the options available with Thrivent Mutual Funds. Look at the investment fees and other expenses, as well as the variety of options available.
  • Services offered
    Plans and providers potentially offer a variety of account services you may want. Compare current services and conveniences to those available with Thrivent Mutual Funds. With consolidation and having all your retirement assets in one place, it may be easier to manage your accounts and monitor your progress.
  • Distribution flexibility
    Both IRAs and employer-sponsored plans may offer options you want or need. Compare access to early withdrawals, loans, employer stock considerations and required minimum distributions, as well as the frequency distributions are available. Some plans may restrict the frequency of withdrawals.

IRA distributions that are used for certain non-retirement purposes, such as a first-time home purchase1 or qualified education expenses, are exempt from the 10% federal penalty tax that typically applies to distributions taken prior to age 59½. And as long as you have earned income, you can continue to make contributions to the IRA.

  • Creditor protections
    Generally, employer-sponsored plans have unlimited protection from creditors under federal law. IRA assets are less protected and laws vary by state.

What can I roll over?

You can roll over or transfer assets from almost any kind of retirement plan, the most common include2:

  • Traditional IRAs
  • Roth IRAs
  • 401(k)s
  • 403(b)s
  • Roth 401(k)s
  • Roth 403(b)s
  • SIMPLE IRAs
  • SEP IRAs

Moving from my employer 401(k) or similar plan

You’ve worked so hard for your retirement assets, so before you move them, it’s important to do your homework and decide which is right for you. Here’s a quick comparison of other available options:

Cash distribution

Pros

  • Immediate use of your money.
  • If employment is terminated in the year of age 55 or over, 10% penalty does not apply on distributions from employer qualified plans.

Cons

  • If you take a lump-sum cash payout from a qualified employer plan, your plan provider is required to withhold 20% for taxes.
  • If you’re under age 59½, a 10% early withdrawal penalty will apply (if you don't qualify for the age 55 exception or any other exceptions).
  • Withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income.

Leave assets where they are

Pros

  • Maintain tax-deferred status.
  • Access options exclusive to your plan.
  • No administrative effort.
  • May have ability to take a loan from plan balance.
  • Protection from creditors.
  • May have access to low-cost institutional investment options.
  • Penalty-free withdrawals from employer-qualified plan if you terminate service in the year of age 55 or over.

Cons

  • May have limited investment options.
  • May have restricted withdrawal provisions.
  • May have minimum balance requirements.

Move to my new employer-sponsored plan

Pros

  • Maintain tax-deferred status.
  • Access options exclusive to your plan.
  • May reduce ongoing administrative effort.
  • May have ability to take a loan from plan balance.
  • Protection from creditors.
  • May have access to low-cost institutional investment options.
  • Would likely reduce fees and expenses with one account rather than two.

Cons

  • May have limited investment options.
  • May have restricted withdrawal provisions.
  • May have minimum balance requirements.

Rollover to an IRA with Thrivent Mutual Funds

Pros

  • Maintain tax-deferred status.
  • May have a broader range of investment options.
  • Allows for consolidation and simplified account management, recordkeeping, and tax reporting—helping provide a clearer overall picture of your retirement assets.
  • Access to professional guidance if you work with a financial professional.

Cons

  • No possibility for loans.
  • Assets may not be protected from creditors.
  • May experience negative tax consequences if rolling over significantly appreciated employer stock.3

RELATED ARTICLES

Pairing a Roth IRA with your 401(k)

Having a Roth IRA and a 401(k) can be a helpful step in your retirement planning. Learn more about the differences between the two and benefits of both.

Will you have enough to make your retirement plans a reality?

After years of hard work and deferred gratification, you’re finally looking forward to a fulfilling retirement. And you have some big plans. Travel. Fine dining. A cozy, well-appointed vacation cabin. You now have the time to enjoy the good life that you may have had to (mostly) put off during your career.

Job change is a prime time to pump up your finances

Starting a new job is a major life change—and a good time to reassess your financial state of affairs. It may also be an ideal time to ramp up your investment plan to build wealth for the future.

What is the process?

If you’ve decided to initiate a rollover or transfer of your retirement assets, there are several steps you need to take, regardless of the financial institutions involved. At a high-level, these are the steps:

  1. Identify and set up a destination for your money. You can move the assets into an existing account or set up a new account. Once the account is approved and set up, the rollover/transfer can start.
  2. Initiate the request. The company you’ve opened your new account with will ask you to complete a form to move the money from the current institution to your new account. This will most likely include some sort of proof of ownership and an explanation of how the funds should be distributed in the new account. The current company may also have additional forms to be completed.
  3. Money transferred. Depending on the types of accounts and processes of the financial institutions involved, the funds may be transferred with or without your involvement. You may receive a check to be deposited with your new account’s company. This process may take several days or weeks.
  4. Process completed. Depending on the types of accounts and processes of the financial institution involved, you’ll be informed when the funds are deposited in your new account or notified on your next statement.

Note: These steps (and even their order) may vary according to the type of rollover/transfer at different financial institutions. 

Get moving

After carefully reviewing your options and considering your needs and circumstances, if you choose to move your retirement assets into an IRA with Thrivent Mutual Funds, you’ll have access to a variety of mutual fund offerings to help you save for retirement. You can build your own portfolio based on your risk tolerance and time horizon or contact an experienced financial professional for help when you need it.
 

 

 

No penalty on up to $10,000 of distribution you receive to buy or build a first home. You qualify for a first-time home purchase if you or your spouse has not owned a home in the previous two years.

Roth IRAs, Roth 401(k)s and Roth 403(b)s can only be rolled or transferred into a Roth IRA. During the first two years of participation, a SIMPLE IRA can only be rolled or transferred into another SIMPLE IRA.

Please discuss your options for appreciated employer stock with your tax advisor.

The information provided is not intended as a source for tax, legal or accounting advice. Please consult with a legal and/or tax professional for specific information regarding your individual situation.

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