Mutual funds were moderately successful in creating a presence in the stock market until the advent of the investment retirement account and in particular the 401(k). Corporate insiders persuaded the federal government to allow for the 401(k) in lieu of offering employees the traditional pension. When this happened the employees lost the protection of a specialized financial manager who could manage both the return and the risk of the retirement money of the worker.
This forced employees who are supposed to specialize in their work area into the field financial management with no training whatsoever. The 401(k) effectively FORCES individuals into mutual funds that as I just mentioned were notorious at the turn of the last century for defrauding the public of its savings. Ironically, these same executives had at the time, and still have, their company department of corporate attorneys. These secret departments do nothing but invent new ways for corporate insiders to suck more money out of the firm in the form of perquisites, stock options, and golden parachutes. This is the "new" form of executive stewardship over the shareholder value and employee retirement!
Why is this so tough on the employee? The 401(k) plans do not offer individual stocks only mutual funds. What a scam! Corporate executives have effectively forced you to place your retirement dollars with their cronies in the securities industry who manage these investment pools. If you could talk to someone in the 1920's about this they would be shocked. Someone from back when these investment pools were actively fleecing the public would see this as a criminal act perpetrated by the US federal government, inside corporate executives, and mutual fund managers.
Does that mean the 401(k) is a bad deal? That depends. If your employer matches a percentage of your wages it may be a fair deal but you should only contribute only up to the matching limit. After contributing the maximum matching amount to your 401(k) then put the rest in a Roth IRA. If your 401(k) provider offers an indexed mutual fund then put your money into that. An indexed mutual fund uses a stock market index such as the S&P500 to guide which stocks are bought. The biggest and oldest indexed mutual fund is the Vanguard 500 (VFINX).
A computer divvies up the cash in the fund to match the index as closely as a possible. As such, there is not fund manager to sitting on your hard earned retirement savings to rip you off in bogus fees.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Scott Brown, Ph.D., the Wallet Doctor, is a successful investor. Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. in finance. The Wallet Doctor is sought after for investment advice and coaching. For more information visit Dr. Brown's site at http://www.bonanzabase.com or sign up for his investment tips at http://www.bonanzabase.com
post construction cleaning Deerfield ..Did you run out to buy that duct tape yet?... Read More
I cringe every time I hear a novice investor tell... Read More
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are a group of passive index... Read More
Because there are so many stocks that are NOT paying... Read More
When most analysts, financial planners, fund specialists and investors try... Read More
The stock market often closes a week in the middle... Read More
There is nothing more exciting than finding an undervalued stock... Read More
Have you been listening to the talking heads on CNBC-TV?... Read More
One of the things people are always asking me is... Read More
The higher the market goes the more confusing are the... Read More
You should ignore analysts on TV, the radio, the newspaper... Read More
Well maybe that's overstating it a little, but it's certainly... Read More
Dollar cost averaging is one of the most popular ideas... Read More
This is the continuing story of our two imaginary traders,... Read More
The stock market has been in an up trend for... Read More
One of the big advertising kicks today from mutual funds... Read More
Alfred Winslow Jones started hedge funds in 1949. He was... Read More
One of the basic laws of physics is that a... Read More
I go to the Money Show every year to visit... Read More
This article describes the model of a natural relationship between... Read More
You remember the story about the frog that was put... Read More
Every successful trader has a winning system. There are of... Read More
Let's say you are interested in this one company. You... Read More
I have been trading for several decades and was an... Read More
The Winter Games for the Olympics are coming up soon... Read More
Airbnb cleaning service Bannockburn ..I have been trading for several decades and was an... Read More
Starbucks earnings are up again and so is their stock... Read More
I was devastated!I just couldn't believe it. I was 10... Read More
Very few people, even professionals, have heard of the Dalbar... Read More
If you are a baby boomer, time is not on... Read More
You probably know the story of Sherlock Holmes and the... Read More
You read and hear a lot about hedge funds. Unfortunately,... Read More
For years I have been saying you must have a... Read More
The stock market can present you with a lot of... Read More
The Shadow knows. Remember him? It seems a shadow has... Read More
A few years back ? it seems like an eternity... Read More
It is difficult to make money in a bull market,... Read More
So you're started trading, you bought some positions with your... Read More
Sometimes the best way of lowering exposure to risk is... Read More
I continually hear from economists, talking heads, other market letter... Read More
If you're like many investors who squander those small dividend... Read More
Most stock market traders have a favorite technical indicator.The one... Read More
The bear market that showed up at the end of... Read More
In 1960 an engineer working for a watch company in... Read More
The stock market has been going up for more than... Read More
In his wonderful book, 'Multiple Streams of Income', best selling... Read More
Caught in a whirlpool and being sucked under. No life... Read More
Every broker and financial planner will tell you that you... Read More
"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action!" Johann... Read More
In 1960 an engineer working for a watch company in... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |