A recent article in the Wall Street Journal professional edition was entitled??Target? Funds Still Missing the Mark. The premise of the article was that Target Date Funds were falling short in their investment returns and were doing nothing to help 401(k) participants regain some of the ground they had lost during the 2008-09 stock market decline.? Another Wall Street Journal Article in early 2011 cited an Alliance Bernstein survey of 1,000 workers which over half ?mistakenly believed that using target-date funds would guarantee that their retirement income needs will be met.?
As both a financial planner working with individual investors and as an advisor to several 401(k) plan sponsors I find this survey result appalling and disturbing.? Moreover, it reinforces my concerns that 401(k) participants as well as some plan sponsors really don?t understand the pros and cons of Target Date Funds.
The fund companies offering them would be the first to tell you that there is nothing guaranteed about TDFs. There is a growing movement within the retirement plan space to add guaranteed-income products to Target Date Funds, but this won?t guarantee retirement success either.
Is a Target Date Fund the right choice for you?
The key to determining if a Target Date Fund is the right choice for your retirement savings is to understand them. ?If you are considering a TDF for all or part of your 401(k) account or as an investment in general, here are two things to consider:
- Target Date Funds from various providers with the same target date may vary widely as to their asset allocation and investment approach. There is no requirement that a TDF with a given target date have any particular allocation to equities, fixed income, etc. ?The fund with the target date closest to your intended retirement might not be the best fund for your needs. As with any investment, you need to look at the fund?s investment allocation in light of your financial goals, risk tolerance, etc. You should also look at the fund as a part of your overall portfolio if you have investments outside of your retirement plan, such as IRAs, taxable accounts, a spouse?s retirement plan, and the like.
- Many Target Date Funds are funds of the mutual fund company?s funds. This is the case for Vanguard, Fidelity, and T. Rowe Price, which collectively have about 80 percent of the TDF assets. This is not good or bad, but you should take a look at the funds that make up the TDF that you are considering. In some cases, I?ve seen fund companies use funds other than what I consider to be their top funds; perhaps they are looking to add assets to these funds.
Target Date Funds gather a huge amount of assets for the fund companies offering them, both as a component in many 401(k) plans and as a rollover vehicle when participants leave their employer.? Remember your investment choices should be all about you and what?s right for your situation.
Most of all, remember that the biggest single determinant in retirement success is the amount saved. If you start early, save as much as you can, have a financial plan in place, and make good investment choices, you will give yourself a good shot at accumulating enough to fund your retirement.? There are no guarantees of course.
Please feel free to?contact me?with questions about 401(k) plan and about your retirement planning needs.
Check out?our?Resources?page for links to a variety of tools and services that might be beneficial to you.
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