Capitalize

Capitalize earns a fee from the IRA provider that receives the rolled-over assets. When a user selects a destination IRA during the rollover process, the receiving custodian or asset manager pays Capitalize for the inbound account and balance. The consumer sees no charge and pays no direct fee at any point in the process. This makes Capitalize's economics contingent on being a trusted, neutral distribution channel rather than on asset accumulation or advisory fees.

Capitalize does not make investment decisions and is not an investment adviser. It does not select securities, recommend allocations, or manage portfolios. Once a rollover is complete, assets are held with the IRA provider the user selected — Betterment, J.P. Morgan, or another partner — and that institution is responsible for the investment options and advice. Capitalize's product is the transfer infrastructure itself.

Capitalize is neither a family office nor a traditional asset manager. It operates as a technology platform that facilitates retirement account transfers between plan sponsors, recordkeepers, and IRA providers. The firm's legal structure is a Delaware C-Corp backed by venture capital, not an investment fund or family office vehicle. It does not manage discretionary client portfolios or pool investor capital.

Capitalize focuses primarily on orphaned employer-sponsored accounts — 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and similar defined-contribution plans left at prior employers. As of early 2024, the platform also supports rollovers from existing IRAs into new IRA destinations. The firm does not originate new 401(k) plans, provide recordkeeping services, or custody assets; it exclusively handles asset transfer and rollover facilitation.

Publicly confirmed destination partners include Betterment and J.P. Morgan, who receive inbound rollover accounts originated through Capitalize's platform. The firm also maintains relationships with additional IRA providers that are disclosed to users as options during the rollover flow. Capitalize does not custody or hold retirement assets itself at any point in the transfer chain.

Capitalize is not a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer. The firm operates as a technology service provider, and the actual securities transfers and IRA openings are executed through partner custodians who hold the relevant regulatory registrations. Capitalize's role is restricted to identity verification, account location, and workflow automation that facilitates the rollover — the regulated steps are handled by the destination IRA provider.

Capitalize has publicly positioned itself as a neutral infrastructure layer rather than a plan-level competitor to incumbent recordkeepers or TPAs. There has been no disclosed product roadmap toward plan-sponsor recordkeeping, administration, or payroll integration for active employees. The company's enterprise product extends rollover capabilities into employer offboarding flows, which keeps Capitalize on the post-employment side of the retirement ecosystem rather than competing for in-plan recordkeeping mandates.