Most 401k investment menus retain the “style box” mentality of the 1990s. Who doesn’t have a kitchen from the 1990s that they don’t want to remodel? Your 401k investment menu is no different.
Basic Members
It’s not as if this “surprisingly secret” formula has run its course. The equation is so timeless, so simple, that it continues to work for those who have the disciple to follow its rules. Still, can today’s workers see this work for them?
ESG isn’t going away. There’s no way of telling if it’s a mood ring or a diamond ring. One thing is eminently clear: ESG is a product that people want right now. This complicates life for the retirement plan fiduciary.
Nonetheless, there is a way to short-circuit this time-frame. You can do it, but you’ve got to really want to do it.
Perhaps the first option to focus on is that one that involves “paying back” or “not paying back.” The rules, while straightforward to financial professionals, may be less apparent to retirement savers.
One of the biggest risks inherent in MEPs/PEPs is coordinating all of the many moving pieces. Here’s why people might be wrong to think they know enough about assembling a 401k MEP/PEP and regulatory compliance only heightens the potential liability.
Today, directly or indirectly (“back door”), every wage earner can contribute to a Roth IRA. So, to benefit your (great)(grand)child through “long term investing”, you might consider funding a Roth IRA and/or Roth 401k.
The most pertinent issue may not be the fiduciary imperative, but the marketing imperative. This makes things extremely difficult for the 401k plan sponsor who may sometimes confuse which has priority. Here’s an example of why a plan sponsor might be concerned.
Do you know the answers to the most important MEP/PEP questions – or do you only think you know the answers to the most important MEP/PEP questions?
“That is one of the key weaknesses of the SEC’s Reg BI. It allows brokers to claim they are working in an investor’s best interest without being held to a legal duty of loyalty”
