Over the years you begin to see a pattern of mistakes that people make with their 401ks. Considering that upwards of 66% of current workers retirement income will come from their savings, I’m amazed that people don’t pay more attention. So here goes…
The top 10 mistakes I see people make in 401ks or 403bs:
1. They Fall Asleep
They pick a bunch of funds when they get started, and never revisit, re-balance, or alter their holdings in any way from thenceforward. Out of sight, out of mind.
2. They Pick Hot Funds
They choose to invest in the top performing funds available at the time of their enrollment. Because this is usually done when they are initially hired, it doesn’t account for trends such as a dot.com bubble.
3. They fail to diversify
A lot of investors that started investing in the 90s never stopped investing in growth stocks. In more recent times, the same applies to international stocks. It’s important to be diversified.
4. They forget about them.
Investors sometimes leave old 401ks with former employers, furthering their mistakes in lack of management.
5. They ignore fees.
Over time, fees can have a big impact on returns.
6. They manage too much.
This is the opposite of number 1. Some people just choose the top performers from last year and are constantly chasing returns. The problem here is that this investment philosophy usually buys high when things are hot, and sells low when things are not hot. You’d be better off with a disciplined long-term investment philosophy.
7. They don’t save enough.
If the majority of your income in retirement is going to come from your savings, most of you had better be putting at least 15% away.
8. They don’t take advantage of the match.
If your company is going to match, at least save up to the match. If the 401k plan is bad, you can put your other savings elsewhere.
9. They never sign up.
Many people say they aren’t signed up because they know it’ll take away from their current paycheck, and they are living paycheck to paycheck right now. Try having to work when you are 80 because you need the money. Unfortunately, I’ve seen it.
10. They invest too much in the company stock.
While this doesn’t occur too much after Enron, it can be fatal to your retirement goal, especially if you are anywhere near retirement. The same can be said for investing too much in one particular fund.
