What Does It Mean To Be Vested In A Retirement Plan? 
Vesting refers to ownership . Another way of looking at it is , if you have $ 10,000 in your retirement plan and you are 30 % vested , you own $ 3,000 . Your vested portion can never be reduced . If you leave your employer , the vested portion of your account can go with you or -LRB- in some cases -RRB- you can cash it out . 