Friday, February 6, 2009

403B: What do you do when your employer has reduced your choice of vendors?

Have you ever been to a resturant that you love, only to return and find that the menu has been reduced to the bare minimum. That is what it feels like when your employer reduces your investment choices. Many people may be familiar with a 401K but some of you who work in a non-profit may have a closer relationship with their 403B. The 403B is the 401k equivilant at non-profit companies. Due to new rules employers have reduced the number of vendors that are allowed in the 403b systems. This may reduce some costs to the employer but it has caused many employees to have concerns. One major concern is about the contribution they may have made to a previous vendor. The second concern is the new company and its product offerings. The simple rule is that one watches their investments and only makes changes once all tax consequences and penalties have been reviewed. The second move is to review the current vendor list and investment options. Then take the change as an opportunity to rethink personal investment horizons and risk tolerance levels. Make sure that you find someone to help you make sense of any concepts you have no clue about. What would you do?

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