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 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.

(more…)

Photo Credit Whatsername

As I recently scraped the frost off my car windows, I couldn’t help but think about all those “snow birds” headed south for the winter. The migratory lifestyle is ideal for many retirees, but there’s also a growing contingent of Boomers making the expat leap and retiring abroad.

The allure of great weather and, in some cases, a cheaper cost of living is tempting. While numbers are difficult to nail down, there are probably more than 500,000 retirees living abroad, according to CBS Money Watch.

A move overseas takes some serious research and planning. If you’re thinking about joining the expat crowd, be sure you’ve addressed these considerations:

(more…)

I spent a lot of time at my local golf course when I was growing up. Every time I walked into the clubhouse, the friendly manager greeted me. When I returned for the first time in years, Dusty was still behind the clubhouse counter. I asked why he was working at the golf course when he could be enjoying retirement. He indicated that his wife would ring his neck if he were home all day.

Dusty isn’t alone. Results from a May 2011 survey published by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies stated 54% of workers plan to work during retirement.

If you’re in the same boat, here are a few tips to help you find an in-retirement job:

(more…)

We often get questions from clients wondering what type of retirement plan they have and how their plan is different from all the other plans out there. While it can get confusing, all of these plans are set up with the same basic idea in mind: give employees control over their own retirement savings. So let’s look at the more popular types of plans available for employees.

(more…)