Smart401k Blog

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 January 31, 2012.

New regulations require greater fee and expense transparency from employer-sponsored retirement plans such as 401(k)s. As a result, we may see more plans experiment with lower-expense investments such as ETFs (exchange-traded funds). Though they’re already featured in some plans, ETFs could increasingly become part of the retirement plan conversation.

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In the headlines

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

• Eurozone leaders reached an agreement with Greece to provide more bailout funding
• Greece launched a bond swap as part of its debt restructuring
• Ratings agency Fitch downgraded Greece to C from CCC
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average flirted with 13,000

You can hardly turn on the news or open the newspaper without seeing some story about the debt issues in Greece and the rest of the Eurozone. The economic issues facing these countries caused quite a bit of investor fear in 2011 and helped lead many international mutual funds to experience losses of 10% or more.

With so much focus on Europe, it’s not surprising that many of the conversations we are having with our members are at least partially centered on their exposure to international markets and the risks involved with those investments. While we agree that international markets do face risks, we believe that international exposure is still an important part of many portfolios and we are confident that experienced fund managers can successfully navigate these difficult waters over the long term.

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This week is America Saves Week and in honor of this great week, we offer up some useful tools, sites, posts and graphs to inspire you and others you know to make a savings goal and set up a plan to achieve it.

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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 January 17, 2012.

Maintaining an outdated allocation is akin to playing the same 11 football players, play after play and game after game. Different situations simply call for different combinations of assets for your 401(k) investments.

Reallocation allows you to maintain a portfolio that’s tailored to your needs and reflects prevailing market conditions. That might sound a little too much like gobbledygook, so let’s break it down.

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In the headlines

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

• Yet again, hopes were high of a Greek debt deal entering the weekend
• Italy entered a recession as GDP fell more than expected
• The payroll tax cut looked poised for renewal
• The Federal Reserve released minutes from its most recent rate-setting meeting

It may still seem early, but time is ticking away. That dreaded deadline is approaching: Tax Day.

This year, your federal taxes are due April 17, 2012.

If you haven’t already, you’ll soon sit at your computer or with a tax professional to file your 2011 tax return with Uncle Sam.

If you’ll receive a tax refund, now is a great time to consider some smart ways to put your refund to work for you:

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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 January.

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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 January 3, 2012.

How many of you have taken time off from work for a family vacation?

With the new year comes a new set of vacation days for many workers. Perhaps some have already started planning their next trip, even if it is months away. Eventually you pack your bags and everyone loads into the car in anticipation of the event. Now, how many of you have been in the car, looked at your spouse and asked, “So, where are we headed?”

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In the headlines

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

• Greece’s Prime Minister presented a plan, but was met with significant resistance
• Major U.S. banks reached a $25 billion settlement for foreclosure practices
• A drop in initial unemployment claims highlight positive U.S. economic news
• Glencore agreed to buy Xstrata for $41 billion