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Disco Salmon
Jun 19, 2004

Xenoborg posted:

Its perfectly fine, the retirement in the name just means its a blend that suited to approximately that date of retirement. Later dates will have a larger percentage of large risk/ward investments, while closer dates will have more stable but less potentially profitable ones. Either way, the Vanguard Target Retirement 20XX series are considered goods hands off choices.

Also congratulations, if your maxing 2 401ks and 2 IRAs and still have money left over for taxable investments, you win finance.

I wish!!! No, only the one 401 K from my husband's employer. My job doesn't offer me one.

It would be nice however...

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ntan1
Apr 29, 2009

sempai noticed me

Amethyste posted:

We opened a fund with Vanguard a few days ago for general investing. We put 4k into it just to start...we will add more as time goes by. My husband threw it into the Target Retirement 2050 account.

I am wondering if that is ok since it is not a retirement account but a taxable account. If it is not, we can change it to something else...any suggestions?

We have the 401k almost maxxed and the TIRA's for both are as well.

I don't remember the exact law that applies, but I believe that there may be one reason not to invest in Target retirement 2050 for taxable accounts. I believe it has to do with filing tax credits from international taxes. These international taxes are automatically paid for by the fund itself, but typically, the fund owner (Vanguard) will note the amount paid in international taxes when you get your tax forms after realizing gains. I've heard that the IRS requires that you are investing in a fund that is international only to be able to file for the deduction (1116).

That being said, if the above is true, then the solution is to literally invest instead in 3 funds that are listed in the Target Retirement fund (check their info page on the names and splits under fund holdings). The disadvantage is that you need to re-balance once per year.

Aisar
Mar 20, 2006

Don't look at the Batman. The Batman will steal your soul.
Hi investment thread. I'm curious if I could get some opinions and maybe some direction on how I should invest. First, my details:

-I'm in my mid-20s.
-I'm self employed. I run a S-corporation that I started earlier this year of myself and currently two employees doing things in a market that is unlikely to disappear.
-I'm projected to make around $120,000.00-180,000.00 per annum before taxes and deductions of travel, rental cars, and hotel fees that the bigger companies I'm subcontracting to are covering. Sorry for not having a more accurate figure, but being there might be a month or two where the companies I'm working for don't have anything for us.
-I'm not currently in school, but in the next 2 years I'd like to go back to school.

Now, here is my dilemma: My father, who is not a realtor or financial adviser and doesn't have any training, insists that now is the time for me to make a down payment on a house, and that that would be a "good investment". I'm extremely worried about making such a big commitment, and I'm not even sure I want to stay forever in the area he thinks I should buy something. Can somebody tell me if I should just follow the guidelines in the OP (Max out Roth IRA, then 401k), or is there reason to believe buying property is a good idea right now? If there isn't, I'd really, really appreciate some literature or a website written by a professional that I can point him to that would give me something to show him when I say "No, let's not do that."

I'm fully aware that I should just say "gently caress off, dad," and do what I want with my money, but it would be nice if I could get him on board with my plans. At the same time, I'd be equally happy if I was totally wrong and property was a great investment right now. Please help me out!

kansas
Dec 3, 2012
'not even sure I want to stay in the area'

This is reason enough to not buy a house. Buying a house has enormous transaction costs and unless you are sure you want to stay a while buying a place is way to risky. Plus a large portion of your net worth is tired up in a single asset.

ntan1
Apr 29, 2009

sempai noticed me
Buying a house is a good investment if you expect to live in that house for a very long time (at least 10 years) and you believe that it will significantly improve the quality of your life. Otherwise, it is essentially one of the worst possible investment options at your age.

I'll briefly explain, then point you toward a few links on investing:

The following are factors that cause expenses when owning a house that you need to take into consideration:

1) When you buy a house, you are required to pay a small amount of additional money beyond the actual real value of the house to your broker. Similarly, when you sell a house, you also must pay that amount of money. Chances are, that's worth 6-10% of the total value of the house. You need to take this into calculation
2) You have to consider repair expenses, which are about 1% of the house value per year. Also keep in mind that if you are renting out the house, or don't intend to live in it, you must also pay someone to manage for you.
3) Property taxes.

Here are other disadvantages of investing in a house

1) Low returns. Check here http://www.jparsons.net/housingbubble/ and note that except for the housing bubble, house prices have not had a significant gain when adjusted for inflation. Compare this to the stock market, which has had anywhere between a 4-7% average return over the long term.
2) Incredible risk. What if your house drops in value by 50%. What if a natural disaster hits? You are investing in something that is completely undiversified, which is dangerous in the long term.
3) Time cost, for maintaining and dealing with all of the necessary components of buying and repairing a house. Meanwhile, you can literally invest money elsewhere using the internet, taking 10 minutes.

Now, most of the financial books in the OP do contain a section on why you don't invest in buying a house. Try "A Random Walk Down Wall Street" or "Four Pillars". If you really want to invest in the real estate market, a better choice is to use one of the more diversified mutual funds which target the real estate market, as an example.

That being said, you can also try one of these talks, who mention why you shouldn't buy a house:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnCxlIQjT-s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0LSG2omvEg

Leperflesh
May 17, 2007

Aisar posted:

I'm fully aware that I should just say "gently caress off, dad," and do what I want with my money, but it would be nice if I could get him on board with my plans. At the same time, I'd be equally happy if I was totally wrong and property was a great investment right now. Please help me out!

Definitely also check out the housebuying thread, but there are a lot of reasons why buying a house is not a good investment.

1. It's the opposite of diversification; you're tying up a lot of your money in a single asset (not an asset class, just an individual thing) which increases risk
2. It's an extremely illiquid investment, meaning it can take months to divest yourself of a house if you need the money back
3. It's an extremely expensive investment, because you must continuously pay for maintenance, taxes, insurance, interest on your loan, and more.
4. As an investment it has very high transaction costs, especially for selling. It's normal to pay 6% of the value as commissions to the realtors when you sell; both the buyer and the seller have additional large costs on top.
5. Over the last century, residential real estate has generally appreciated at something around 1% to 3% a year, before accounting for inflation. There have been periods of exceptional returns, especially between the early 1980s and around 2007, but there have also been long decades of stagnation and periodic episodes of depreciation. So even discounting 1 through 4, residential homes are usually lovely investments compared to stocks or bonds.

There are additional reasons not to buy a house, but 1 through 5 ought to be enough. Your dad probably lived most of his adult life during a period in which residential real estate had ahistorically high rates of growth in value; conventional wisdom built up over twenty or thirty years that one should buy as much house as possible, as early as possible, so as to take best advantage of those gains. This conventional wisdom was dependent on a bubble which has now burst. It's understandable that your dad shares what was a very common opinion, but he (and all those other millions of people) were wrong.

Buy a house because you want the homeowners' lifestyle, because it fits your living situation and your long-term personal or life goals. Do not buy a house as an investment.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Every year I've been contributing the max amount possible to my Roth (through Vanguard). I typically do this within the first week of January and forget about the account until the next year. I'm wondering should I keep on doing what I'm doing now, or should I split the max amount evenly and contribute that way? So, instead of adding in $5,500 on January 1st 2014, I'll add in $458.33 per month. Does this make sense as far as having the possibility of purchasing low?

ntan1
Apr 29, 2009

sempai noticed me
Either way works. There is rationale to spread even, but the extra you get from cost averaging is minor. Just don't try to time things for highs and lows of the market if you lump.

Disco Salmon
Jun 19, 2004

ntan1 posted:

I don't remember the exact law that applies, but I believe that there may be one reason not to invest in Target retirement 2050 for taxable accounts. I believe it has to do with filing tax credits from international taxes. These international taxes are automatically paid for by the fund itself, but typically, the fund owner (Vanguard) will note the amount paid in international taxes when you get your tax forms after realizing gains. I've heard that the IRS requires that you are investing in a fund that is international only to be able to file for the deduction (1116).

That being said, if the above is true, then the solution is to literally invest instead in 3 funds that are listed in the Target Retirement fund (check their info page on the names and splits under fund holdings). The disadvantage is that you need to re-balance once per year.

Got it thanks... as soon as the funds go thru etc I will call them to verify this, and have this changed.

Appreciate the info!

Disco Salmon fucked around with this message at 14:56 on Jun 17, 2013

substitute
Aug 30, 2003

you for my mum

obi_ant posted:

Every year I've been contributing the max amount possible to my Roth (through Vanguard). I typically do this within the first week of January and forget about the account until the next year. I'm wondering should I keep on doing what I'm doing now, or should I split the max amount evenly and contribute that way? So, instead of adding in $5,500 on January 1st 2014, I'll add in $458.33 per month. Does this make sense as far as having the possibility of purchasing low?

I do the same thing, with the opinion that getting money into the market as early as possible is better for the potential long term gains. I just feel better doing it that way. Same thing on maxing my 401k as soon as possible.

Sephiroth_IRA
Mar 31, 2010

Mouse Cadet posted:

After doing more research as everyone suggested here's my current plan.

Fixed Income 33%
Intermediate-Term Bond Index Admiral Shares VBILX
Short-Term Bond Index Admiral Shares VBIRX
Total Bond Market Index Admiral Shares VBTLX
High-Yield Tax-Exempt VWAHX

Real Estate 11.5%
REIT Index Fund Admiral Shares VGSLX

Health Care 2.3%
Health Care VGHCX

Domestic Large 25%
Vanguard Large-Cap Index Fund Admiral Shares VLCAX
Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares VFIAX
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral VTSAX

Domestic Small 9.6%
Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund Admiral Shares VSMAX

International 15.3%
Vanguard Tax-Managed International Fund Admiral VTMGX
Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund Admiral VDMAX

Emerging Markets 2.3%
Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund VEIEX

I'm late to the party but I'm assuming this is all in a taxable account or do you have this spread between a IRA and a taxable account? If you have it spread out which accounts are in your taxable accounts if I may ask?

P0PCULTUREREFERENCE
Apr 10, 2009

Your weapons are useless against me!
Fun Shoe
This is probably a silly question.

My employer offers a matched contribution 403(B) and 401(A) through Vanguard. I am currently maxing out my employer-matched options there.

Is it possible to / should I also have an IRA that I set up myself? And if so, should I also open that through Vanguard?

Thanks everyone!

Demented Guy
Apr 22, 2010

IF YOU ARE READING THIS IN AN NBA THREAD, LOOK TO YOUR RIGHT TO SEE MY EXPLETIVE RIDDEN, NONSENSICAL POST OF UTTER BULLSHIT
Open a Roth IRA with Vanguard after you max out up to employer's contribution. If you can max out both the employer match and Roth IRA and still have some money left, max out the 401k/403b up to the limit. If you can max out all the tax-advantaged accounts available to you, you're in pretty good shape.

Read the OP for the "rule of thumb"

P0PCULTUREREFERENCE
Apr 10, 2009

Your weapons are useless against me!
Fun Shoe
That's what I thought/was hoping the advice would be. Thanks!

FizFashizzle
Mar 30, 2005







I don't make a lot of money because I'm chasing some ridiculous dream, but I have a bunch in savings. I'm paid basically as a contractor as I'm not a member of SAG.

I have almost no overhead.

Just tell me where I should put all my sweet Disney/Buena Vista money. I trust anonymous people on the internet more than anyone else.

Nephzinho
Jan 25, 2008





substitute posted:

I do the same thing, with the opinion that getting money into the market as early as possible is better for the potential long term gains. I just feel better doing it that way. Same thing on maxing my 401k as soon as possible.

I put mine in monthly as it avoids putting my money in on a particularly good/bad day and just spreads it out. Also, easier to manage the cost as it just goes straight from my checking to my account the same day my paycheck processes. I see it as a much safer approach to just jumping in with the full amount in one go, though I do lose some money on fees.

Mouse Cadet
Mar 19, 2009

All aboard the McEltrain
Next Stop: Atlanta

Orange_Lazarus posted:

I'm late to the party but I'm assuming this is all in a taxable account or do you have this spread between a IRA and a taxable account? If you have it spread out which accounts are in your taxable accounts if I may ask?

I haven't made the investments yet, but it would be in a taxable account.

Comb Your Beard
Sep 28, 2007

Chillin' like a villian.
So my 401k with Suntrust/my employer has been making money hand over fist. My only concern is that it is quite undiversified and I'm thinking about doing a one-time rebalance. This would be in anticipation of stocks taking a big hit before the end of the year. Pretty much what you're not supposed to do. I have a separate USAA IRA that is full of cheap Vanguard type options and is way better diversified.

So 13.4% gain since Dec 1, 2012. 5% + 2% employer match.
47% Small Cap (2 of these)
22% Mid
13% Large
15% Targeted 2050
3% High Yield Bonds

The smalls and mids have been especially high earning. The idea would be to put some into "Capital Preservation" option to "book" the profit and possibly increase the bond percentage. Their "Capital Preservation" weathered the 2008/2009 storm while still making some money.

Red
Apr 15, 2003

Yeah, great at getting us into Wawa.
I use John Hancock pensions for my 401k - as a rule of thumb, should my investments be spread amongst many stocks? Say, 1-3% to each, or less? Is there a rule of thumb?

cowofwar
Jul 30, 2002

by Athanatos

Red posted:

I use John Hancock pensions for my 401k - as a rule of thumb, should my investments be spread amongst many stocks? Say, 1-3% to each, or less? Is there a rule of thumb?
Seems like you'd be hemorrhaging money in fees if you owned 33-100 individual stocks. Good to be diversified but you're better off owning index funds and gambling on a couple individual stocks with 10% on the side.

New Weave Wendy
Mar 11, 2007
Not sure if this is the right thread for this, but I have a question on a Roth IRA and hoping somebody can help.

Long story short, I moved six months ago and evidently forgot to update the institution that administers my IRA with my new address (oops). After noticing that my balance went down this month to a measly $55, I called them up and it was explained to me that since they didn't have my new address, they declared the account "abandoned" and moved all of the funds out of it. They also had my phone number incorrect by a digit so the rep said it's possible they may have tried to call me to update everything but obviously couldn't get a hold of me.

My question is, is this legal and if not, who can I report it to? I tried to look online for guidance, but all I see is that an IRA becomes dormant after three years of inactivity in my state (Ohio). This account had auto-transfers going into it biweekly as well, so there was definitely activity on it (even after moving all the funds out, hence the $55 balance I saw). Plus it's only been six months since I moved so it has definitely not been three years. I'm able to get the full amount back into my account but have to fill out a ton of annoying paperwork and I'm pretty pissed off that something seemingly so non-important can cause tens of thousands of dollars to move around on a whim. I don't want to be on the hook for the money being withdrawn early, either, but I'll cross that bridge if/when I come to it.

ntan1
Apr 29, 2009

sempai noticed me
Yes, they can if they have minimums, I believe, and will just send you a check.

Then again, I don't deal with stuff like this (pretty much ever), so YMMV.

TLG James
Jun 5, 2000

Questing ain't easy
Does anyone have any thoughts on Fidelity? They're my work 401k and stuff like their 20XX retirement funds seem to be much higher expense fees than some of their other funds like FXSIX. Just trying to figure out where to put my monies.

Also, has another ever merged 2 ROTH IRA's with Vanguard? I opened one at the beginning of the year, and now I decicded I no longer want my USAA roth, so I initiated the auto transfer thing, and for now it's showing up as two accounts on my login page. Any idea if that'll fix itself when the funds are actually brought over?

Andy Dufresne
Aug 4, 2010

The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die
I have a couple of questions about my investments. I'm 28, single, 25% marginal tax rate.

Taxable accounts (Vanguard):
--edited out--

Roth IRA (Vanguard):
--edited out--

Old employer 401K (Fidelity):
--edited out--

Current 401K (ExpertPlan):
--edited out--

My most pressing question is with my current 401K because I'm on pace to contribute the maximum this year and I have mostly poor investment options. I'd like to pick the best fund or two and rebalance. Here are some of the options (I've left out the highest expense options and those with fewer stocks):

American Funds EuroPacific Gr R5 RERFX (0.55%)
American Funds Fundamental Invs R5 RFNFX (0.36%)
American Funds Growth Fund of Amer R5 RGAFX (0.39%)
American Funds New Economy R5 RNGFX (0.54%)
Vanguard 500 Index Inv VFINX (0.17%)
Vanguard Small Cap Value Index Inv VISVX (0.24%)
Fidelity Spartan 500 Index Inv FUSEX (0.1%)
Janus Overseas T JAOSX (0.76%)

All of those except Janus Overseas T has a "* This fund may contain a fee that will not exceed 25 basis points"

My reading of the thread makes me think I should dump everything in the Vanguard 500 or Fidelity 500 and forget about it - leaning towards the Fidelity 500 because I can't get admiral shares so the expense is lower. I can get exposure to bonds if I need it in other accounts. This 401K has the potential to dwarf my other investments in a year or two so I'm not sure if a 500 index is diverse enough.

The second question is: What should I do with my old employer's Fidelity 401K account? I understand I can roll it into a traditional IRA, but is it a pain in the rear end to move that to Vanguard? If I roll it into a Fidelity IRA do they have a decent fund I can buy and just ignore?

Finally, I'm open to suggestions if I'm being retarded with my current asset allocations. I've been very much hands off but lately I'm thinking that my Roth IRA would be better invested in Vanguard's total stock fund than their 500 index.

Andy Dufresne fucked around with this message at 15:06 on Jun 19, 2013

ntan1
Apr 29, 2009

sempai noticed me

Let's go one by one.

Taxable accounts:

Decent, I recommend when you have the time and are able to do so (since you're in admiral shares), to eventually go for a 70%/30% domestic/international split. The problem is that you're too hedged on the United States, so for full diversity also need some money internationally as well. Also, be careful with your emergency fund because Money Markets are not FDIC insured. It's probably not a problem, but just something to keep note of.

Roth IRA:

Since it's tax free, do the same as your investments in your Taxable Accounts. You're right about the issue with the 500 index. The 500 Index only covers large cap funds, and you likely want other things to go with it. The complement to the 500 index is the "Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund I", at something akin to a 65%/35% ratio. But yes, it's easier to just go for the Total Stock Market fund for the US. Same with above, try to put some international into it.

Old Employer 401k

I recommend converting it to an IRA, likely with Vanguard (since you're already with them), and then do the same as your Roth IRA. Shouldn't be that hard to do, basically it involves doing a trustee-to-trustee transfer.

Current 401k

Yep, you're right here. I recommend using the Fidelity 500 Index over the Vanguard one. You're out of luck with the other funds being expensive. One trick is that you can (at least for now) use your post-converted traditional/roth IRAs to add on the Vanguard Extended Market Index I've talked about above and the total international fund. Then predominantly invest in the Fidelity Spartan 500 in your 401k. This helps keep your expenses low but allows you to keep diversity.

mike-
Jul 9, 2004

Phillipians 1:21

Mouse Cadet posted:

After doing more research as everyone suggested here's my current plan.

Fixed Income 33%
Intermediate-Term Bond Index Admiral Shares VBILX
Short-Term Bond Index Admiral Shares VBIRX
Total Bond Market Index Admiral Shares VBTLX
High-Yield Tax-Exempt VWAHX

Real Estate 11.5%
REIT Index Fund Admiral Shares VGSLX

Health Care 2.3%
Health Care VGHCX

Domestic Large 25%
Vanguard Large-Cap Index Fund Admiral Shares VLCAX
Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares VFIAX
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral VTSAX

Domestic Small 9.6%
Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund Admiral Shares VSMAX

International 15.3%
Vanguard Tax-Managed International Fund Admiral VTMGX
Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund Admiral VDMAX

Emerging Markets 2.3%
Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund VEIEX

With the amount of money it looks like you are investing I think you are better off speaking to a financial advisor.

ntan1
Apr 29, 2009

sempai noticed me

mike- posted:

With the amount of money it looks like you are investing I think you are better off speaking to a financial advisor.

Financial advisors tend to look out for themselves or lead you astray. While some are good, they often are looking out for their own wellbeing.

mike-
Jul 9, 2004

Phillipians 1:21

ntan1 posted:

Financial advisors tend to look out for themselves or lead you astray. While some are good, they often are looking out for their own wellbeing.

I think this is a bad generalization that is often repeated in this thread. Sure, if you have a bad advisor you can get screwed, but there are many situations where it makes sense to consult with an advisor, especially with high value investments. Just by looking at the proposed allocation I think the poster would greatly benefit from professional advice.

ntan1
Apr 29, 2009

sempai noticed me

mike- posted:

I think this is a bad generalization that is often repeated in this thread. Sure, if you have a bad advisor you can get screwed, but there are many situations where it makes sense to consult with an advisor, especially with high value investments. Just by looking at the proposed allocation I think the poster would greatly benefit from professional advice.

Reading and understanding the books in the OP would likely serve better.

kansas
Dec 3, 2012

ntan1 posted:

Financial advisors tend to look out for themselves or lead you astray. While some are good, they often are looking out for their own wellbeing.

A fee only CFP (certified financial planner) can provide expert, customized advice around ideal asset allocation, tax efficient strategies, time horizon/liquidity planning as well as estate planning. They have a legal fiduciary responsibility to their clients that is enforceable in court. Note that only the CFP designation comes with this protection and any other "advisor" does not have this obligation. They aren't free and typically charge a percent of total assets under management typically around maybe .75% but for someone who doesn't want to deal with figuring this all out it can be a valuable service and you won't get taken to the cleaners by some sleazy "investment advisor".

Edit: it is most likely not worth it unless you have several hundred thousand dollars and it matters more when it comes to things like harvesting losses and which investments to hold in taxable accounts versus tax deferred/tax free accounts. For those just starting out read the main threads in BFC and drop funds in Vanguard target funds.

kansas fucked around with this message at 06:44 on Jun 19, 2013

ntan1
Apr 29, 2009

sempai noticed me
Yes, the fiduciary responsibility is the most important part, which you have to confirm.

Andy Dufresne
Aug 4, 2010

The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die

ntan1 posted:

Let's go one by one.

Taxable accounts:

Decent, I recommend when you have the time and are able to do so (since you're in admiral shares), to eventually go for a 70%/30% domestic/international split. The problem is that you're too hedged on the United States, so for full diversity also need some money internationally as well. Also, be careful with your emergency fund because Money Markets are not FDIC insured. It's probably not a problem, but just something to keep note of.

Roth IRA:

Since it's tax free, do the same as your investments in your Taxable Accounts. You're right about the issue with the 500 index. The 500 Index only covers large cap funds, and you likely want other things to go with it. The complement to the 500 index is the "Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund I", at something akin to a 65%/35% ratio. But yes, it's easier to just go for the Total Stock Market fund for the US. Same with above, try to put some international into it.

Old Employer 401k

I recommend converting it to an IRA, likely with Vanguard (since you're already with them), and then do the same as your Roth IRA. Shouldn't be that hard to do, basically it involves doing a trustee-to-trustee transfer.

Current 401k

Yep, you're right here. I recommend using the Fidelity 500 Index over the Vanguard one. You're out of luck with the other funds being expensive. One trick is that you can (at least for now) use your post-converted traditional/roth IRAs to add on the Vanguard Extended Market Index I've talked about above and the total international fund. Then predominantly invest in the Fidelity Spartan 500 in your 401k. This helps keep your expenses low but allows you to keep diversity.

Thanks, this was just what I needed. I've begun the process of rolling over my Fidelity 401K to a Vanguard IRA and have a letter to send to Fidelity. I plan on dumping all of my current 401K into the Fidelity Spartan 500 and invest my IRA/Roth IRA in the Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund and Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund.

One last question, in the last page there were comments about advantages/disadvantages of having international or domestic stocks in taxable accounts. Since I've got some money in a taxable account, is there some benefit to investing it in domestic or foreign stocks vs. just the Total Stock Market index?

ntan1
Apr 29, 2009

sempai noticed me
Vanguard Total Stock Index is actually domestic only. The International one that you're looking at would e the Vanguard International Total Stock Fund:

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=0113&FundIntExt=INT

SlightlyMadman
Jan 14, 2005

TLG James posted:

Does anyone have any thoughts on Fidelity? They're my work 401k and stuff like their 20XX retirement funds seem to be much higher expense fees than some of their other funds like FXSIX. Just trying to figure out where to put my monies.

My work 401k is Fidelity also, and I use the 2040 retirement fund. Funds like that are always going to have higher expense ratios, but if you're a passive investor you're probably still much better off, and it's still completely within the acceptable expense range. Your biggest gains from a 401k will be your employer's match anyways.

Kilty Monroe
Dec 27, 2006

Upon the frozen fields of arctic Strana Mechty, the Ghost Dads lie in wait, preparing to ambush their prey with their zippin' and zoppin' and ziggy-zoop-boppin'.
I'm 27 and single, and last year started an entry-level part-time job at the company where my career goals are while I continue to pursue my degree for advancement. It only pays $21,500 a year, but by living frugally with my parents and taking as many classes as I can at the community college, it's been more than enough. Since I've been able to take care of my tuition without loans due to having little other expenses, I've been putting 20% towards the company 403b (Roth) managed by Fidelity, which is my first retirement account. I've even managed to build up $5,000 in emergency savings now, so I'm thinking of bumping this up to 25%.

I'd started by just putting everything into their Freedom 2050 K fund, which I knew had a terrible expense ratio (0.68%) but I figured it was okay for starting out until I'd done some research. It turns out though that when I signed up for the plan, I was automatically enrolled in Fidelity's "Professional Management" service, and they've reallocated my contributions for me into other funds. This service is gratis until my balance hits $5,000, after which it has a fee of 0.30% per year. I'm now approaching that $5k mark so I'm considering opting out, but as far as I can tell the funds they're picking seem to have mostly done well and have pretty low expense ratios. Here's how my money is allocated right now:


Large Cap Stock
30% VIIIX Vanguard Institutional Index Fund Institutional Plus Shares (0.02% ER)

Mid Cap Stock
17% FSEVX SpartanŽ Extended Market Index Fund - Fidelity Advantage Class (0.07 ER)

International Stock
27% FSPSX Spartan International Index Fund - Fidelity Advantage Institutional Class (0.075% ER)

Specialty Stock
3% VGPMX Vanguard Precious Metals And Mining Fund Investor Shares (0.26% ER)
(this one has an abysmal performance history, but was just added this week, so I guess they think it's undervalued now?)

Blended Investments
19% VWENX Vanguard Wellington Fund Admiral Shares (0.17% ER)
4% VWIAX Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund Admiral Shares (0.18% ER)


I'm looking for opinions on how well this service has done in setting up my plan, its relative value in keeping it as someone that has never managed investments before (considering the 0.30% fee isn't near as steep as the 0.68% ER on the target retirement fund I'd started with), and what I should change if I decide to take control. Any other input is welcome as well.

Red
Apr 15, 2003

Yeah, great at getting us into Wawa.

Kilty Monroe posted:

I've even managed to build up $5,000 in emergency savings now

The rule of thumb is to have 6 months' salary available for emergencies. I'd make sure you get closer to 7-8k before dumping more into retirement.

Twerk from Home
Jan 17, 2009

This avatar brought to you by the 'save our dead gay forums' foundation.

Red posted:

The rule of thumb is to have 6 months' salary available for emergencies. I'd make sure you get closer to 7-8k before dumping more into retirement.

I thought it was 6-9 months living expenses, not 6-9 months salary? If I did lose my job I obviously wouldn't be paying income taxes or into a 401k. It would make me cry to have 6 months salary sitting somewhere safe generating 0 return.

Briantist
Dec 5, 2003

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Weinertron posted:

It would make me cry to have 6 months salary sitting somewhere safe generating 0 return.
The whole point of the emergency fund is that the money will be there when you need it, in an emergency, so first you don't want to have to liquidate something and then possibly wait for a transfer to an account you can get cash from, and second you don't want the risk of it losing value.

Twerk from Home
Jan 17, 2009

This avatar brought to you by the 'save our dead gay forums' foundation.

Briantist posted:

The whole point of the emergency fund is that the money will be there when you need it, in an emergency, so first you don't want to have to liquidate something and then possibly wait for a transfer to an account you can get cash from, and second you don't want the risk of it losing value.

Oh, I was quibbling about the difference between 6 mo expenses and 6 mo salary, as I'd bet that most people maxing out tax-advantaged retirement vessels are probably living on less than half their gross salary. The difference between 6 mo expenses and salary is about a factor of 3 for me.

I know that emergency funds need to be somewhere safe, and ladder CDs myself.

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Red
Apr 15, 2003

Yeah, great at getting us into Wawa.

Weinertron posted:

It would make me cry to have 6 months salary sitting somewhere safe generating 0 return.

Well, to be fair, having it sit in a savings account does get you a small interest return.

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