Some costs can’t be negotiated. These relatively fixed costs are the same no matter the size of the plan. Bigger plans can absorb these costs over a larger asset base, meaning the per participant cost is lower.
Tag "mutual fund"
Herein lies the potential for a direct conflict of interest. This applies generally to all proxy voting in commingled portfolios.
CITs can only be offered within the confines of a trust relationship. That means the plan itself might be structurally different than one that has an investment menu limited to mutual funds.
The story arc of the 401k mimics that of software. Each release adds to and builds on features and benefits over and above those of previous releases.
Clearly, you wouldn’t pay more for 2 apples if you could get 3 for the same price, but would you pay more to get 2 oranges instead?
Today, the understanding of conflict-of-interest fees goes well beyond plan sponsors. Individual investors also understand how they can act as a better fiduciary for their own personal investments.
The bottom-line is employees may be setting themselves up not only for failure, but for a costly failure. This is why it’s vitally important for employees to understand more than just the simple objective and class of the mutual funds they own.
Whatever the future holds, we live in a present where there is no such thing as a free lunch; thus, the basic notion of caveat emptor continues to hold true.
If you’re a fiduciary and you haven’t ask this question, you might want to read this before you make your next decision.
FiduciaryNews.com Trending Topics for ERISA Plan Sponsors: Week Ending 11/16/18
Two opposing forces, what does “fiduciary” really mean, and, speaking of conflicts-of-interest.