401k Investing for Newbies and Nerds
There are one hundred and thirty million American workers who collectively own $35 trillion in their 401k and related retirement accounts. The owners of these accounts face both challenges and opportunities. The largest opportunity is that their accounts are investment accounts, not savings accounts, and for the past three decades they have grown in the low double-digit range.
The main challenge 401k owners face is that there are required to make their own investment decisions by choosing from a limited menu of mutual funds.
These 130 million self-directed retirement account owners can be divided into 3 distinct categories. The first are those who could care less about their money and are willing to just let nature take its course. The second group, NEWBIES, are inexperienced in the investment process, but are willing to become engaged in the management of their hard earned dollars. The third group, NERDS, are those who have a modicum of investment expertise and are willing to devote the time and energy to expand their investments skills.
The mission of my podcast is to motivate and educate 401k NEWBIES and NERDS on how to optimize their 401k experience. I have a 62-year relationship with the stock market. I have been a stockbroker, finance professor and individual investor. Ten years ago, I appointed myself to the position of 401k guru extraordinaire. I have no investment products to sell. All I have to offer are the objective observations of one who has been there and done that.
401k Investing for Newbies and Nerds
Latest Episodes
Season 2 Episode 8 A Billion Here, A Billion THere
During a 1963 debate on the federal budget, the Senior Senator from Illinois, Everett Dirksen proclaimed, “a billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon it starts to add up to real money.” Dirksen didn't use exact numbers, and that was not h...
Season 2 Episode 7 Gen X 10, Wall Street Techies Zip
When I was a kid, our family car had air conditioning, It was a little triangular shaped window that you flipped around and it blew air on your face. Our family car also had power windows. There was a crank on the door and you were the power. F...
Season 2 Episode 6 An Interview with a level 10 401k Nerd
In this episode I spent time with Jake Olsen talking about his 401k experiences. Jake is a millennial and a Level 10 401k Nerd. I have known Jake for over 15 years. When we first met, Jake was a college student majoring in accounting &...
Season 2 Episode 5 New Menu Items Coming to a 401k Near You
In August of 2025, President Trump sign an executive order directing the Department of Labor to investigate how to include private equity and cryptocurrency on the investment menu of the nation’s 75,432 401k plans. There are a number of signifi...
Season 2 Episode 4 401k Investing for Newbies and Nerds
I have been meandering through the wonderful world of investing for over six decades. My main takeaway from these many years of market experience is that change is constant, and if you don’t embrace every new permutation along the way, you will...
