kaneohe,
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P.S.--As you note with "a few exceptions," even ERISA plans are not ironclad. ..................................
The few exceptions that seem to be mentioned are IRS/tax liens and QDROs.
Not afraid of IRS so all I need to do is treat DW well. After 40+ yrs, I hope
I've learned enough to do the latter so hopefully I'm in good shape.
I think it boils down to ERISA seems to have some additional benefits....whether they are practical benefits in the real world, I'm not sure.
The benefits often mentioned for IRAs......greater choices, lower cost, etc. don't
necessarily have benefits for me since my 401K seems to be reasonably priced and I just need a few low cost choices which I have. ymmv............