From the monthly archives:

January 2010

The Solo 401(k)

January 27, 2010

On Friday, I will be discussing the solo 401(k) with MomsMakingaMillion hosts Gina and Kat.  Gina has been curious about how someone who has not had access to a 401(k) at their place of employment can invest for retirement.  This is the first of a three part series on the topic. Kat: If the entrepreneurial [...]

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Is it Socially Responsible to Outperform? Absolutely!

January 25, 2010

Back in October of 2009, I re-profiled socially responsible mutual funds.  They are not available to me in my 401(k) so frequent monitoring of these important investments are not usually are my investment radar.  That is unfortunate, because they should. As it turns out, investing in socially responsible funds would have done the investor a [...]

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Skin in the Game: Is Investing in Clients Worth the Risk?

January 22, 2010

A recent article in the New York Times focused on a start up mutual fund crossed my desk recently. The article, written by Stuart Elliott, dealt with the advertising agency Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners in New York, part of MDC Partners. While Mr. Elliott normally deals with the advertising industry, this particular article offered [...]

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401(k) Rollover: The First Steps

January 21, 2010

I appear every Friday with Gina Robison-Billups and Kat Bellucci on a broadcast designed to help working moms create the assets and wealth they need to be successful and secure. This week on MomsMakingaMillion, on 01.22.10, we discuss the first in a segment on what to do with that 401(k) if you have left a [...]

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Brightscope Does it Again

January 20, 2010

The small start-up Brightscope has done it again.  While the tool they originally introduced offered plan sponsors a look at how well their offerings served the needs of those who use the business’ 401(k) and plan users the opportunity to confront those sponsors about the adequacy of those plans, a new tool puts more of [...]

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Is a Roth 401(k) Right for You?

January 18, 2010

More than simply a retirement plan, your 401(k) relies on its tax advantage to help you with your retirement. The concept is relatively straightforward. You put away money from each paycheck before taxes are taken from that total. This money is invested and the proceeds are taxed upon distribution. In the 2010 tax year, this [...]

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Is Owning a Home No Longer Smart Money Management?

January 15, 2010

Seems that there isn’t a day goes past that I am not asked about the concept of buying a house.  These questions usually come from younger workers who may be barely into their thirties.  And the answer I offer them is not what they want to hear.  In fact, it flies in the face of [...]

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Your Company’s Stock as a Matching Contribution

January 12, 2010

Last week on MomsMakingaMillion, one of the the hosts, Gina Robison-Billups grabbed hold of one of the tips about how your 401(k) plan is structured: don’t own too much of your company’s stock in your retirement plan.  This is not a new problem for investors in these sorts of defined contribution plans. And even though [...]

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The Retirement Paradox: Not How, If?

January 10, 2010

As I continue to write the book that is accompanying this site, I can’t help but marvel at the impact we are having on our retirements.  Consider of sudden switch to conservative investing. Is this because we fear the worst could happen again? Are we simply trying to protect what we have? To answer those [...]

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The Downside of Passively Investing

January 7, 2010

The downside of passively investing, such as in index funds, may have cost you dearly over the past year. While you did well, with gains in your retirement portfolio helping ease your concern, had you been in actively managed mutual funds, you would have done better. Juliet Ellis, chief investment officer for U.S. growth investing [...]

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