Whenever the topic of retirement and 401(k)s comes up, most of my friends say the same thing: "I just get the form and check off whatever -- I don't really understand any of it".
As the Associated Press reported today, that's bad. An increasing number of 401(k) plans are offering workers free phone advice on topics like asset allocation.
According to the article, "A new Charles Schwab examination of the 401(k) plans it oversees found that investors who rely on some professional advice for investment decisions enjoy greater returns than those who go it alone."
It's great that these companies are providing this advice, and also underscores one of the reasons I don't think investors need to hire professional help, unless they have a ton of money or a hugely complex financial situation: Books, magazines, the internet, and the telephone offer good information on basic personal finance concepts: No one should pay a financial planner $80 an hour to have concepts like diversification and risk explained to them.
If you have a 401(k), take advantage of the free advice that's provided: You'll earn better returns than going it alone, and you won't be wasting money on hired help.
Last updated: February 10, 2012: 05:06 AM
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-29-2007 @ 8:39AM
- TOP GUN said...
- 401(k)s
NEVER EVER TAKE THE ADVICE OF AN EMPLOYER WITH RESPECT TO 401(k)s
E N R O N
Enron (ENRNQ) executives Andrew and Lea Fastow, Ken Lay, Enron chief executive officer Jeffrey Skilling is sentenced to 24 years et al.,
RING A BELL ?
Enron Attorney @ Law (female) now serving time in prison, amongst others , exactly what did they do?
401(k)s FAKE OUT, Enron-era accounting scandals et al.,
ENRON 401 (K)s was a big fake out, a/k/a non-existent 401 (k)s accounts, Enron put the money of the employees of ENRON 401 (k)s in their 3 year old childrens banks account, very clever!
Very similar to the likes of Michael Robert Milken, born July 4, 1946, in Encino, California, is an American financier best known as the "Junk Bond King" of 1980s era , Drexel Burnham Lambert and that firm's star trader Michael Milken. ...
people bought the junk bonds without the understanding Michael Milken was a highly deceitful man, WHOA, STOP, Michael Milken now residing in Lake Tahoe, Califonrinia with his wife protected by the Mafia. Made millions selling JUNK Bonds that were absolutely worthless, Piece of junk and cost inocent investors millions. Michael Milken salary?$200 million and $550 million per year!
He amassed an enormous personal fortune, but in 1989 he was indicted by a federal grand jury and eventually spent nearly two years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of securities fraud. While he is credited with founding the high-yield debt market, he was banned for life from the securities industry. Nicknamed "The Junk Bond King" in the 1980s, Milken earned between $200 million and $550 gladly ripping people off.
BE WARNED!
NEVER EVER TRUST YOUR EMPLOYER WITH YOUR 401 (K)s or health benefits, or retirement or anything else.
As of this post, Thursday, November 29, 2007 few if any of the ENRON employees received their paychecks back owed, and will never see the money vested in the so called ENRON 401 (K)s these were trusted employees who worked for ENRON over 12 or more years of there life, they lost everything.-- Enron Corp. employees who lost their jobs or saw their life savings wiped out will NEVER recover these lossess. Many of the Enron Corp. employees have sought mental health counseling, emergency help, with little next to zero guidance or assistance in terms of recovering their life savings, their jobs all at the expense of ENRON executives who thought this was a humerous joke, until they got caught. It cost the ENRON employees their life savings, their jobs, their dignity for having trusted their EMPLOYER.
The now QWEST telephone company executive have been charged in Denver Colorado for his fraud. You yourself investigate the company you work for, get names, get numbers, get addressess of executives. DENVER -- Federal regulators said Tuesday a former executive of Qwest Communications International Inc. has agreed to pay $2.1 million to settle civil charges that he participated in a fraud conspiracy that forced the telecommunications company to restate billions in revenue.
Gregory M. Casey also agreed to cooperate with the Securities and Exchange Commission's investigation into accounting irregularities at the Denver-based company, which serves 14 mostly Western states, including Utah.
YOU HAVE A BRAIN IN YOUR HEAD USE IT, DO NOT ALLOW OTHERS TO DO YOUR THINKING FOR YOU, AND NEVER EVER TRUST YOU EMPLOYER NO MATTER WHO IT IS.
On a side note I read the US GOVERNMENT was collecting names of homeless people STATE WIDE and taking out insurance policies claiming they are the beneficiaries when they die. Just think about it.