With 25% of my check going into my 401k is it wise to have as many as 12 funds with as little as 5% in some?

Answer 1

its better to have your money split up among several funds so that if one loses money, the others will usually make up for it. more chance for loss if you have all your eggs in one basket.

Answer 2

I have to disagree with most - 12 is way too many. Diversify yes, but the costs of 12 funds are going to keep your returns lower in the long run. Take a look at the front-end load and back-end load of your funds, as well as any ongoing maintenance fees. In my experience company 401Ks don't offer great investment options because employers have an incentive to keep costs low while still giving their employees a benefit, thus they buy a plan that meets both needs. I would suggest you invest only enough in your 401k to take advantage of a company match, and then max out a Roth IRA outside your 401k. Any time you can go outside the company plan you will give yourself more options.

Answer 3

Hi Kap I figured that was your original question. Sure you can do it but you are probably over diversifying. It depends on the total contribution if this makes sense. If the 5% ends up being a contribution of $10 or less, then just add the 5% to another one of the funds.
Don't worry about not being exposed to that fund you want to put the 5% into. Take a stab and pare down the number of funds to 10 or so.
Don't forget to check the expense ratios of those funds as part of your research! That is the money they skim off the top before you get paid!

Answer 4

effective you would possibly want to do it yet you're probable over diversifying - assuming you're allocating the different ninety 5% in money too. because you do not pay expenses to get into the money it no longer that vast a deal. It relies upon on the finished contribution if that is sensible although. If the 5% finally ends up being a contribution of a few thing like $10 or a lot less, then you surely are probable over doing it. merely upload the 5% to a unique between the money. base line is to stay with it and maximize your 401k contributions. which will be a lot extra of a component contained in the destiny than attempting to figure out the position to allocate that very last 5%.

Answer 5

12 funds is not unwise but someday as you get to your retirement date you will want to consolidate those 12 funds into fewer for easier management. If you have as many as 12 make sure that they don't contain a lot of the same stocks or bonds or else you really don't have 12 different type of assets(for diversification purposes) so why have 12!!

Answer 6

to piggy back on many of the previous answers, let me add my 2 cents worth....
depending on your age, risk tolerance and 401 choices...it seems that 12 might be a bit too many...
if you have a few decades before retirement...then be aggressive with no less than 20% of your choices...and probably, at the most 5% in cash or cash equivalents...
I would put no less than 20% of your equity choices into international areas...ETFs, closed-ended mutual funds offer a great way of playing the world...
with a few good ETFs/closed-ended funds, you can have a pretty diverse porfolio rather quickly...

NOTE however....do not buy closed-end funds at a premium to their NAV....always look for those selling at a discount to the NAV...
also...
a commodity fund-like DBC or GSG...makes a good hedge against the market in general....
also...
watch out for loads/fees/operating expenses...those can kill whatever gains that you thought you had made...look for the lowest operating fees ...over the long haul...these will eat into your 401 more than any other single negative..

happy hunting

Answer 7

I almost agree with fat_albert_999. You need to take into account your age. If you're still young, you can invest in higher risk that have higher returns. If it tanks, you still have enough time to recover. If you don't like the higher risk, there are several plans available that offer better than the average returns. Also don't forget, there is a maximum contribution allowed by an individual, I think about 15,000 this year. Your employer can contribute as much as they like. It varies by company to company. My company will only match the first 3%.

Answer 8

12 is too many and swisscash is a scam stay away from them. For your 401k it SHOULD be defensive income generating (in other words low risk). People back in the .com bubble era got TOASTED in their 401k having the likes of Enron, Worldcomm etc....Your 401k is your future don't screw it up by taking mindless risks.

Answer 9

Here is what I can say!

Congratulations for contributing 25% of your pay!

Over time, this will grow very well.

It's not the actual amount you contribute that makes the huge difference, its time!

Great work!

Answer 10

That seems excessive. I miss the days when I could put 25% in, congrats to you!