Almost every business day, I jump out of the virtual bushes. And surprise an individual 401(k) investor with my phone call or e-mail. My contact always comes as a surprise. Because I always ask a detailed question about their 401(k) account. One they were not expecting. One that makes them think hard about their response. The automatic reaction is, “My 401(k) is fine. I am not interested.” I know that response is not the truth. In most cases, I have reviewed a copy of their default 401(k) mutual fund menu. Filled with expensive mutual funds. The majority of them not keeping up with the popular ..read more

You have likely watched the value of your 401(k) account roller coaster ride over the last few weeks. Most individual investors don’t pay any attention to their 401(k) accounts. They realize their lack the knowledge and experience. With stock and bond market investments. So, they remain 100% invested in one or more target date mutual funds. Guessing at “what to buy.” Full participation in the “buy-and-hope” 401(k) investment management strategy. A few brave individual investors have hired a fiduciary, third-party investment advisor. For an independent analysis of their complete default 401(k ..read more

The default menu of mutual fund options in your 401(k) account can be intimidating. You did not pick the mutual funds. Your company did not pick the mutual funds. They approved the mutual fund menu recommended to them by a consultant. You have to “make lemonade out of the lemons.” No pressure. It’s your retirement savings. Invested at all-time stock market highs and near all-time interest rate lows. How many times in your working career have you read or heard about the merits of “diversification?” Diversification is the ability to mitigate investment risk. True believers make statements about ..read more

Life is full of blind spots. Both personal and professional. With family and friends. In good times and tough times. There is a blind spot in your 401(k) for sure. I can make that statement with confidence. I have been finding 401(k) blind spots for investment advice clients since 1999. Your 401(k) blind spot falls into two categories. First, you are not aware of the investment performance ranking of your default 401(k) mutual funds. You do not own the best mutual funds available to you. You sacrifice at the altar of “diversification.” You own five or six mutual funds in your 401(k). Instead o ..read more

The specialization in the business world today is everywhere. High level skill does not transfer between professionals these days. No one can be an expert in all areas of their business and personal life. A good lawyer, a capable tax advisor, and an insurance professional. All-important members of your “money team.” A fiduciary investment advisor should be part of that same team. For every individual investor. This is the age of specialized investment management technology. Available to help improve your 401(k) investment management decisions. 401(k) participants are not comfortable navigating ..read more

Successful long-term 401(k) investing is not that hard. Despite what you read or skim over in the financial media. Consider the source of my statement. I will soon pass 40 years as an investment advisor. Over 25 years providing investment advice to individual 401(k) participants. I stand by my statement. I help individual investors improve their 401(k) investment management decisions every day. If it were hard to do, I would not be able to do it myself. Or help as many 401(k) individual investors for as long as I have. Do you play fantasy football? If you don’t, you can at least understand a 3 ..read more

I have been an investment advisor for over 40 years. Providing investment advice to individual 401(k) participants for the past 25 years. I’ have the honor of working with talented clients. Most with several years of knowledge and experience withing their industry. Many of my 401(k) advice clients would have nothing in common with each other. The small business owner does not know much about legal issues. The physician does not know much about what the corporate executive does every day. But I have noticed a common thread among my best clients. To a person, they are all willing to seek externa ..read more

Generations of investment advisors have lived off of the “401(k) rollover” life event. For corporate employees, retirement is inevitable. Along with it, the 401(k) rollover. Barring the sale of a home. The biggest piece of stock and bond investment money they would ever have to manage. My generation of investment advisors waited for years and years. To build a strong enough relationship with an individual investor. To someday gain the 401(k) rollover assets to manage. You don’t need to take the time to look up information on a 401(k) rollover. My last search of Google provided over 8,570,000 r ..read more

The American workforce has changed the last few years. With or without the help of the work from home generation. I can remember my grandfathers. And then my father. They found jobs early in their adult working career. And stuck with the same job at the same company all the way to retirement. I have two kids in their mid-20’s. Both have already changed jobs and companies many times. From what they tell me, changing jobs is the norm. For all professionals their age. My kids and their college and co-worker friends. All have come to me with the same “what do I do with my old 401(k)?” question. So ..read more

How do you react when someone you don’t know very well presents a completely random and spontaneous idea to you? It may be a great idea. One that will benefit your personal and financial future. Few 401(k) participants I approach agree on their need for investment advice. That is why my 401(k) advice clients value our relationship. Do you hear that person out? Do you take the time to listen. To even the 30-second explanation of the idea. I throw out the idea of 401(k) investment advice to strangers almost every business day. In my experience, the post-COVID work from home world has taken its t ..read more