Wealth Today » 401k

Will my 401k continue to increase in value in 2008

joshuak — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:54:21 +0000

So far 2008′s been a bumpy year for my 401k It’s dipped to some of it’s lowest lows. The past week has seen a slow and steady increase back to the bottom of last year’s median range. I’d like to see it really take off this year, but what with economists saying there’s a 50-50 chance of a recession, I’m cautious trying to make any assumptions this early.

Stocks Spring Into Action as The Dow Records Record High Jump

joshuak — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:40:01 +0000

Wow! What a great day for the DOW, the S&P 500, and my 401k account With record jumps of 1.06% I’m very happy.

401k unsteady picking itself up

joshuak — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 05:43:19 +0000

My 401k’s slowly making it’s climb, with just a small +0.18 in unit price today. It started out pretty good, but it does seem to have slowed down at a lot lower price than before the slump. I’m relieved to see that it’s progressing. I kind of wish it had held off until after the company had contributed their match. That would have been a significant increase on my match. I guess this is where dollar cost averaging is really going to pay off for me in the long run.

Did anyone not have the same kind of lackluster return to a pre-subprime-lending-crash state?

My 1st Annual 401k Review – Good news!

joshuak — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 05:33:19 +0000

I’ve now been contributing to my company’s 401k for over a year. It’s valued at about 66% more than I had expected it to be, but it’s about half of what I’d hoped for. Overall, it earned pretty well, but the matched contribution was what really put me over the top. I plan on continuing the aggressive allocation in my 401k’s strategy this year unless my debt is completely cleared first, in which case I would allocate more.

I’d love to hear how yours compared.

How 401ks Work

joshuak — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 20:40:21 +0000

I’ve mentioned HowStuffWorks before in the reference of Marshall Brain. The site has a terrific article on How 401ks Work.

IRA vs 401k

joshuak — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 15:45:58 +0000

I recently wrote a query for opinions about investing in my 401k vs an IRA and had little response. Thanks to Faisal for the lone advice, I questioned others in my company about the benefits of doing so. I was pointed to a fund with tremendous earnings vs the paltry 3.5%-4.2% of my 401k. Now I’ll be adjusting my 401k contribution to permit the maximum match possible, and then invest any difference into an IRA.

401k Help Needed for a Performance Based Company Match

joshuak — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 21:28:30 +0000

Our company met our goals, so they’re dropping in a bundle of cash into our 401k. It won’t quite be a 100% match, but it’s pretty good.

The value also went up yesterday to the highest I’ve seen since I’ve been enrolled. That pleased me to peaches.

This is the first time I’ve seen a company do matching based on performance. I think it’s a good idea, because we really get to feel a partnership with the company, but at the same time I wish it was more like a 100% match and I got whatever I put into it. Currently, I’m not putting enough into it to max out a IRA, but people around me tell me to put the minimum in the 401k to qualify for the performance based match, and then invest the rest into an IRA. If I max that out, then put anything else into 401k. I’m not so certain that this is a good idea, but I’m definitely interested in hearing other people’s opinions on it.

How do you feel about this strategy?

401k Have you signed up?

joshuak — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 02:44:37 +0000

Jeff at Personal Finance Advice has issued his Financial Challenge – Day 5. Here he challenges you to enroll and participate in your company’s 401k. I’ve already got a head start and have even bumped it up. If your company matches any amount, and you’re not participating, you’re MISSING FREE MONEY. Signing up is usually rather painless, and is one of the best investments for its simplicity that you can make.

I took some time to gather some resources to answer many of the questions those new to 401ks may pose.

Money – Do It Now – 10 Resolutions

joshuak — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 21:32:01 +0000

I found a great all in one article on CNNMoney.com today. It’s not a site I regularly frequent, but this article is definitely top notch. It covers “10 simple strategies for finally achieving your financial goals“.

It takes a deeper look into saving more money, investing smarter, getting out of debt, getting your career kick-started, and more.

It’s actually a collection of 10 articles, and will take some time to get through all of them, but it’s time well spent.

JLP of AllThingsFinancial writes about Resolutions for 2006

joshuak — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 07:40:30 +0000

JLP probably has one of the best all-in-one personal finance posts I’ve seen all year. This post is about making personal finance resolutions for 2006. He enlisted help from Jim, FMF, Flexo, Smarty, Jose, Alexander, and Jonathan. Together, they cover emergency funds, getting out of debt, 401ks, IRAs, budgets, and personal finance statements. It’s worth your time to read every bit and reference every link.