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 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Maintaining an outdated allocation is akin to playing the same 11 football players, play after play and game after game.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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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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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 October 27, 2011.

If you’ve carefully selected the funds for your 401(k) plan account, it could be irritating to learn that your plan sponsor is changing the investment line-up.

Employer-sponsored 401(k) plans occasionally make line-up changes. These could involve a few funds or a full-scale revamping.

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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 December 15, 2011.

The Pension Research Council at the Wharton School recently released research indicating that people allow their peers to influence their 401(k) investing. According to the study, 401(k) investors tend to increase their equities allocations when co-workers are experiencing good returns and decrease them when co-workers lose money.

This behavior is part of a larger investing phenomenon commonly called herd mentality. Our ancestors survived by adopting a herd mentality. They stuck together because there was safety in numbers.

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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 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.

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It’s not quite as scary as tax season, but open enrollment season can leave many employees confused and looking for answers.

In his latest submission to the U.S. News & World Report Smarter Investor blog series CEO Scott Holsopple offers advice to make enrolling in your benefit options easier and more enjoyable in Preparing for Open Enrollment.

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There are many considerations to make before taking money out of your retirement plan, like outstanding loans, fees and available investment options.

In his latest submission to the U.S. News & World Report Smarter Investor blog series CEO Scott Holsopple examines what you need to contemplate when taking qualified distributions in 6 Considerations When Taking Money Out Of Your Work Retirement Plan.

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Target-date funds are a popular option for 401(k) participants interested in a more hands-off approach to creating an investment strategy. But there can be a downside to target-date funds, if you don’t understand how they work.

In his latest submission to the U.S. News & World Report Smarter Investor blog series CEO Scott Holsopple breaks down target-date funds in Where Is Your Target-Date Fund Taking You?.

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Death and finances are two subjects few people like discussing. Preparing your finances for death is a subject nearly no one wants to discuss, but it is necessary. And the more your finances are in order, the better off your family and loved ones will be when that time comes.

In his weekly submission to the U.S. News and World Report Smarter Investor blog series CEO Scott Holsopple discusses what steps should be taken to prepare your finances for your death.

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Basing your 401(k) decisions on what everyone else is doing may be the easiest and most convenient route to take, but is a good choice for your retirement plan?

In his latest submission to the U.S. News & World Report Smarter Investor blog series, CEO Scott Holsopple explains why following the beaten path is a flawed practice when it comes to retirement investing and find out what steps should be taken to create a retirement plan that best suits you.

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