Here's exactly how to pick investments for your 401(k)
These Are the Best Fund Selections for 401(k) Plans
For years, a commonly cited rule of thumb has helped simplify asset allocation. It states that individuals should hold a percentage of stocks equal to 100 minus their age. So, for a typical 60-year-old, 40% of the portfolio should be equities.
A general rule of thumb for asset allocation
For most people, the remainder should be in fixed-income, with some cash for those at or near retirement. For example, if you're 40 years old, this implies that 70% of your portfolio should be invested in equities, with the other 30% in fixed income.
Bond Funds
Federal bonds are regarded as the safest investments in the market, while municipal bonds and corporate debt offer varying degrees of risk. Low-yield bonds expose you to inflation risk, which is the danger that inflation will cause prices to rise at a rate that out-paces the returns on your investments.
Here are five ways to protect your 401(k) nest egg from a stock market crash.
Withdrawing your retirement money at 28 is like creating your own personal stock market crash, even if the stock market soars. You'll pay a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty on money you take from your 401(k) plan, plus any Roth IRA earnings you touch.
The conservative, risk-averse investor might be comfortable with a 60% stock and 40% bond allocation. A more aggressive investor in their 40s might be comfortable with an 80% stock allocation. ... You can include broadly diversified international stock funds and REITs in your investment mix, too.
You may have heard of age-based asset allocation guidelines like the Rule of 100 and Rule of 110. The Rule of 100 determines the percentage of stocks you should hold by subtracting your age from 100. If you are 60, for example, the Rule of 100 advises holding 40% of your portfolio in stocks.
An optimal portfolio is one that minimizes your risk for a given level of return or maximizes your return for a given level of risk. What it means is that risk and return cannot be seen in isolation. You need to take on higher risk to earn higher returns.
The 70/30 portfolio had an average annual return of 9.96% and a standard deviation of 14.05%. This means that the annual return, on average, fluctuated between -4.08% and 24.01%. Compare that with the 30/70 portfolio's average return of 7.31% and standard deviation of 7.08%.
We assume retirement at age 65.
Typically, balanced portfolios are divided between stocks and bonds, either equally or tilted to 60% stocks and 40% bonds. Balanced portfolios may also maintain a small cash or money market component for liquidity purposes.
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