Every time workers switch jobs they are forced to decide what to do with the money from their employer-backed retirement plans. One option is to leave the money where it is, but this can become complicated after several job changes. Other options include transferring the retirement account to your new job, letting it roll over into an individual retirement account or cashing it out.
See "Retirement accounts often a forgotten issue for job-hoppers", Mary Ellen Slayter, Chicago Tribune, March 15, 2004