During a holiday gathering, a family member made the following toast: "May 2016 be as good as 2015 was bad." To start the year, investors may have felt the same way. Bloomberg called 2015 “The Year Nothing Worked” as stocks, bonds and cash all went “nowhere.” US stocks (S&P 500) were up 1.4%, International stocks (MSCI World ex/US) down 3.0%,... Read More
“It doesn't matter what people say. Watch what they do.” In an unsurprising, but refreshingly straightforward article Reuters wrote recently about Morgan Stanley’s latest product push to boost its profit. The article titled “Morgan Stanley Turns To Stodgy Bank Accounts To Boost Profit” is a glimpse inside how the traditional Wall Street sales culture works and how these firms view... Read More
Because we help our clients manage their Intel 401k, retirement contribution and SEPLUS accounts, we frequently get asked, ‘what are the best funds in the Intel retirement plan?’ Just give me the list: should be pretty simple. Well it’s not quite that straightforward and here’s why. Picking the best investment options is a little bit like picking the “best” flavor... Read More
Reflecting on the year that’s passed or making plans for the year ahead, both come to mind as we prepare to ring in another new year. And so we hope 2015 was a year full of health, happiness and success for you and your family and wish you a Happy New Year. The past year was a big one for... Read More
Engineer. Pilot. Astronaut. Col. Chris Hadfield is all three. And during his time commanding the International Space Station, he likely also had the status of the “most popular man (not) on Earth.” While in orbit he became somewhat of a social media sensation—posting breathtaking pictures of Earth from orbit, educational videos about life in zero gravity and the first-ever music... Read More
Forbes contributor John Wasik wrote an article recently titled Is Your 401(k) Overpriced? Three Ways To Tell. In the article he compared Intel’s 401(k) plan to the similar sized plan of Accenture ($7 billion vs. $6 billion in assets respectively) using his three-step framework of: Compare plans of similar size What are the expense ratios? What does this cost you?... Read More
As you may know, a former employee is suing Intel over its management of the company’s retirement plans. The lawsuit is getting a fair amount of press with the NY Times, Morningstar (free account required), and The Oregonian running the story over the last few weeks. We had a chance to share our thoughts with Mike Rogoway for his Oregonian... Read More
Most investment options within the Intel Retirement plan have the following disclaimer right at the top of the fund summary sheet: Information on this investment option was provided by your plan sponsor, plan trustee, investment manager, trustee or third party data provider. This investment is not a mutual fund. So, if it isn’t a mutual fund, what is it? These... Read More
“You’re optimizing on all the wrong parameters.” ~A father to his son Note: I look forward to Thanksgiving each year—good food is part of that for sure, but also as a time to focus on the things that really matter in life, and to spend time with family and friends. With that in mind, I present the following post inspired by... Read More
Anyone using the BrokerageLink® account within the Intel 401(k) may have received a letter from Fidelity in the past few weeks. The letter is a notice that certain investments are no longer eligible to be held in the account. As a result, any current holdings in these investments must be liquidated. Let’s take a look at Fidelity’s change in policy.... Read More
