Would you pay hundreds of thousands of dollars if you could get the same (or better) product for pennies on the dollar? Probably not. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what people are doing with their 401k plans. The management fees these plans charge sound very innocuous. How much does 1 percent really add up to? The answer is more than you think.
Future Advisor was kind enough to prepare this infographic for us today, which look at some of the very best, and the very worst 401k plans, and what that percentage really adds up to.
Where possible, utilize low fee index funds, and you can save hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can also see how your 401k plan stacks up here.
Editor's Note: I've begun tracking my assets through Personal Capital. I'm only using the free service so far and I no longer have to log into all the different accounts just to pull the numbers. And with a single screen showing all my assets, it's much easier to figure out when I need to rebalance or where I stand on the path to financial independence.
They developed this pretty nifty 401K Fee Analyzer that will show you whether you are paying too much in fees, as well as an Investment Checkup tool to help determine whether your asset allocation fits your risk profile. The platform literally takes a few minutes to sign up and it's free to use by following this link here. For those trying to build wealth, Personal Capital is worth a look.
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Wow. This story is an eye opener. Thanks for posting it. I manage the SIMPLE retirement plan for my employees at a small business I own. Only fee is the funds expense ratios of around .15%. Sure beats that 1% ratio.
Very nice info graphic great way to illustrate the impact of plan fees on the savings efforts of plan participants.