Smart401k Blog

Photo Credit 401k

I’ve had several recent conversations about the lackluster performance we saw from most sectors last year.

Discussions start with someone expressing frustration about slow investment growth, and they devolve into a round of Twenty Questions about big returns.

In retirement investing, there will be up years, down years and flat years. I know it’s easy to become frustrated like these folks. However, when you start to feel blinded by a hunger for big growth, I encourage you to read through this particular set of posts from the Smart401k blog rather than seeking information about the next big thing. And think about this investment:

Read the rest of this entry »

This post is part of Smart401k CEO Scott Hollsopple’s contribution to the U.S. News & World Report Smarter Investor blog series. To view the original article, click here. Original post date November 10, 2011.

At first glance, the diet industry and financial services industry seem to have nothing in common, other than being multi-billion dollar markets.

But they share a common goal: making consumers believe there’s an easy solution to issues that typically take time, focus, and determination. The problem with chasing the easy way is that it usually doesn’t work.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Sumitomo Corp agreed to buy Royal Bank of Scotland’s aircraft-leasing business for $7.3 billion
• China’s GDP growth slowed in the fourth quarter, but was still 8.9% and ahead of expectations
• Shares of Carnival plummeted after its Costa Concordia cruise ship capsized
• Pembina Pipeline agreed to buy Provident Energy for $3.2 billion

Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit Shazwan

Last week, after Kansas City received a dusting of snow, my 20-minute drive to work became an hour-long journey. I found myself dreaming of places where winter is defined by long-sleeve shirts rather than expedition-weight parkas.

I’m still a few decades away from retirement, but it’s never too soon to create retirement goals and use my 401(k) investment plan to reach them. Part of my retirement plan is to become a ‘snowbird’ and journey south for the winter. Since I know what I want to do, it’s easier to create a strategy to reach my goals.

Whether you’re already a snowbird, within a few years of starting your migratory lifestyle or just dreaming and strategizing, here are some things to consider as you do your financial planning:

Read the rest of this entry »

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• Bristol-Myers Squibb agreed to buy Inhibitex for $2.5 billion
• U.S.-Iran tensions mounted amid concerns over the country’s nuclear program
• As it kicked off fourth-quarter earnings season Alcoa had an optimistic outlook
• Electronics companies showed off their wares at Las Vegas’ Consumer Electronics Show

Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit dflorian1980

It’s a new year. With 2012 underway, many of you have received retirement account statements or a notice to view your information online. (If you haven’t yet, you will soon.)

This provides the perfect opportunity to spend some time examining your investment strategy, and make sure you’re on track to reach your goals. This is also a good time to review appropriate benchmarks to see how your investments stack up.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• Payroll data was better than expected and the jobless rate fell to 8.5%
• France’s Total is investing $2.3 billion in U.S. shale gas reserves
• Greece faces getting pushed out of the euro if it doesn’t close on its bailout deal
• ExxonMobil received a small fraction of the compensation it sought for seized assets in Venezuela

We follow lots of really good blogs – mostly related to personal finance and economics. The Blog Round-Up allows us to point you in the direction of some great content from the blogging world. Posts* included in today’s round-up are our favorites from the month of December.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• The Department of Justice cleared the way for legal online gambling
• Yields fell drastically for Italy in a nine billion euro bond auction
• President Obama announced his nominations for two Federal Reserve Board seats

Over the past year investors saw a number of events affect the market, from the first ever U.S. credit rating downgrade to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Without the benefit of a reliable crystal ball, it’s impossible to identify all of the factors that will affect the markets in 2012. If history is any indicator, there is a good chance that three factors could dominate headlines in the coming year.

Read the rest of this entry »