Recent Study Shows 401k Participants Aren’t Sure of Their Own Portfolio Allocations

In a recent article by PlanSponsor.com, they referenced a survey by Legg Mason that reports that many 401k participants are in the dark of their own portfolio allocations. According to the survey 22 percent of participants aren’t even sure of what their portfolio allocations are. Interestingly enough, 34 percent of Baby Boomers are included in this, while only 11 percent of Millennials are in the dark. Another interesting tidbit from this is that it seems that many Baby Boomers are heavily invested in equities, while many Millennials are underinvested.

This kind of study reveals an interesting trend that Baby Boomers may be paying less attention to their 401k or at least are taking a more aggressive stance as they are more worried about preparing for retirement. Conversely, Millennials seem to be doing just the opposite and are taking a more conservative stance on their 401ks, even though they have a lot more wiggle room in terms of their investment horizons and riskiness.

Nonetheless, studies like this really reaffirm the need that many have for guidance from an advisor as they are preparing for retirement. Some may be taking an overly conservative stance, while others perhaps to aggressive. Overall, everyone could do with a bit more education with what is in their portfolio and what it means for their retirement.