Thank you for you input.
My wife and I are 33 and 32. I should clarify that when I said we are “at least 20 more years before retirement,” I meant possibly retiring from teaching in 20-25 years and finding other work to get us through to full retirement age. Our age makes me feel secure in being able to take a big hit from the market now and having time to recover before retiring. Additionally, our portfolio automatically adjusts to become slightly more conservative each year, to add security as we approach retirement.
Here is the fee breakdown that I found online (We are not invested in Ivy Mid Cap Growth I or Janus Triton I, but those are option):
Investment Name
Gross Fee Per $1000
Asset Class
Am Fds Europacific Growth
$5.00
International Equity
Blckrck Eq Dividend I
$7.20
U.s. Equity
Dodg Cx Income
$4.30
Taxable Bond
Ivy Mid Cap Growth I
$10.00
U.s. Equity
Janus Triton I
$7.80
U.s. Equity
Jhn Hnk Disciplined Val Mid Cap Fund R6
$7.70
U.s. Equity
Jpm Large Cap Growth R6
$6.10
U.s. Equity
Jpm Small Cap Equity
$8.70
U.s. Equity
Mfs International New Discovery R6
$9.60
International Equity
Pimco Total Return Inst
$4.70
Taxable Bond
Templeton Global Bond Fund Advisor Class
$7.10
Taxable Bond
Victory Sycamore Small Company Opp
$9.70
U.s. Equity
Vnguard 500 Index Admiral Shares
$0.50
U.s. Equity
Vnguard Inflation Protected Secs Adm
$1.00
Taxable Bond
Vnguard Mid Capitalization Index Adm
$0.80
U.s. Equity
Vnguard Total Bond Market Index
$0.60
Taxable Bond
I’m not sure is the above fees are part of our annual fees, but I do not think they are since they vary by fund, and our annual fees are set. I just sent an email to Lincoln Financial to see what they say. How do I find out if there are other fees?
When we signed up, we met with a representative from Lincoln Financial, who seemed like a salesman. He gave up the options of aggressive, moderate or conservative, and we chose a target retirement date, which determines the rate at which the portfolio becomes more conservative. I didn’t feel like he was trying to steer me into any particular option. I don’t recall having the Morningstar-managed option when we enrolled, but it is an option now.
I do not know much about the 401a or the 457b, but there is no employee match. There used to be for the 403b, but it is no longer offered. Lincoln Financial Group is the provider of all three options.
We were only presented with the option to participate with Lincoln Financial Group by our employer. I am not sure if I can purchase through other companies or not.
I hope this additional information is adequate.
