BeManaged

February Newsletter – Considering Risk When Evaluating Your Investment Options

Chad Griffeth, AIF — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:39:45 +0000

Adding Measures of Risk to Your Fund Evaluation Picking your funds based solely on performance is a common mistake Return numbers are the most readily accessible pieces of information available to you as an investor. As a result, it is too easy to make fund choices for your 401(k) based on those returns. The level [...]

The Surprising Paradox of Choice in 401k Plans

Jonathan Ericksen — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:34:27 +0000

You may have heard about experimental studies that aim to capture the human experience when provided a large variety of options. Consumers today are often bombarded with a very high number of choices when they enter shopping malls, department stores, restaurants, mobile phone stores, etc. It is likely we have all experienced a certain level [...]

A Mountain Climber’s Perspective on Risk

Jonathan Ericksen — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:08:53 +0000

Imagine you’re a mountaineer about to scale the face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. As you hike to the bottom of the face your level of risk to injury is relatively low. You might trip and fall on your hike but any injury is nonetheless negligible. In this situation, your exposure to downside [...]

BeManaged Year End Newsletter – 2011 Was a Treacherous Ride to Nowhere

Chad Griffeth, AIF — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:04:36 +0000

Conservative Investors Rewarded in 2011 A treacherous ride to nowhere Pretend for a moment you pulled off your best Rip Van Winkle imitation and slept through 2011. You pick up a “Year in Review” newspaper, and find out: A number of European countries (Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain) are close to defaulting on their debt. The [...]

BeManaged Holiday Hours

Chad Griffeth, AIF — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:54:52 +0000

We hope you are all getting ready for this fast approaching holiday season! And because we wanted to best prepare you for the upcoming weeks, we’d like to let you know what our support hours will be. We will be observing limited hours the following days: – Friday, December 23 – 8:00 AM – 12:00 [...]

BeManaged December Newsletter – Unemployment Rate Voodoo and Retirees’ Financial Health

Chad Griffeth, AIF — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:04:23 +0000

Unemployment Rate Voodoo Producers Continue to Leave the Labor Force The announcement of a decline in the nation’s unemployment rate from 9.0% to 8.6% was treated gleefully in news headlines. Unfortunately, there is more to the story. Over the past 60+ years, the number of people who are participating in the labor force grows an [...]

BeManaged November Newsletter – The European Debacle Continues

Chad Griffeth, AIF — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:55:52 +0000

The European Debacle Continues “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future” – Mark Twain The European saga continues! In the final weeks of October, the European Union constructed a bailout package to save Greece from almost certain default. Markets around the world cheered the news as a sign of hope for the debt [...]

7 Lies We Tell Ourselves About Saving Money (Video)

Chad Griffeth, AIF — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:39:11 +0000

Recently, I have had some interesting conversations that centered around how we talk ourselves out of saving money. Simply put, we tell ourselves little lies we make up in our head. We end up talking about how we spend money, as if we manage that, saving it is easy. Let’s face it, it’s much more [...]

IRS Contribution Limits for 2012

Chad Griffeth, AIF — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:26:58 +0000

Today the IRS posted the 2012 retirement plan limits, and for the first time since 2009, they are increasing! The new limits are as follows: Elective Deferrals for 401k/403b/457: $17,000 (increased from $16,500 in 2011) Catch-Up Contributions for 401k/403b/457: Remains at $5,500 Annual Compensation: $250,000 (increased from $245,000 in 2011) Annual Additions Limit for Defined Contribution [...]

BeManaged October Newsletter: 3rd Quarter Ends on Down Note

Chad Griffeth, AIF — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:17:14 +0000

The following topics are covered in this month’s Research Newsletter from the BeManaged Research Department.

4 Straight Months of Decline for the S&P 500
5 Yr Gains on Bonds Significantly Outpace Stock Returns
Older Workers: Who’s Working?