Handling your own retirement investing is a great way to save on investing costs and put more money toward your retirement. But a recent Fidelity survey called the practice into question, citing statistics that could be misleading.
In the following video, Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool's director of investment planning, looks more closely at the survey, noting that Fidelity found that more than half of those it calls do-it-yourself investors take no active role in their accounts. Some analysts looking at the survey have argued that it provides evidence that people need professional financial planning help. But Dan points out that that's the wrong conclusion to take. First, limited fund choices often make sticking with a given contribution strategy the best move, even though Fidelity would call it an inactive role. Moreover, making judgments about asset allocations within 401(k) accounts can be extremely misleading, as they ignore other assets people have outside their 401(k) accounts. Dan concludes that having a paid financial advisor won't automatically solve all your worries, and that true do-it-yourself investing can bring you superior results.
Have general questions about Social Security? Email them to [email protected], and they might be the subject of a future video!
