Gerri Willis at CNN warns readers that they should not stop investing in a 401(k) just because the market is doing poorly (like it has over the third quarter of this year). Her five points are don’t disengage, resist the makeover urge, pick winners, don’t fear bonds (though I’m fine without them as I’ve investing for the very long term), and put your retirement on autopilot.
You’ll hear some people disagreeing with the last point. Generally, the opposition comes from people who make their living off the fees generated by financial transactions. The author suggests “maturity funds” which automatically change their equity/bond balance depending on the years remaining until retirement.
Here is my current 401(k) breakdown, which includes a company match that I may not see if I leave this company before next May:
Updated January 16, 2010 and originally published October 4, 2004. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails. Follow @flexo on Twitter and visit our Facebook page for more updates.
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Luke Landes founded Consumerism Commentary in 2003 and has been building online communities since 1990. Luke, also known as Flexo, has contributed to PC World Magazine, US News, Forbes, and other publications. 
