Page 161 - FebDefComp
P. 161

Review your goals                                 Consider lifestyle or target

               and risk tolerance                                date investment options,

               As you review your investment objectives, ask     if available
               yourself, have your goals changed? How do
                                                                 If you don’t have the time or confidence
               you feel about risk? For example, if the idea of
                                                                 to select individual investment options to
               losing some of your money in a down market
                                                                 diversify your portfolio, you may want to
               keeps you up at night, you may want to reduce
                                                                 consider a lifestyle or target date investment
               the amount of money you have in stocks.
                                                                 option, if your plan offers them.
               Be sure to consider both investment risk AND
                                                                 A lifestyle option tailors its investment
               inflation risk. Inflation risk is the risk that your
                                                                 approach to your individual tolerance for
               choice of investments won’t earn enough to
                                                                 risk by offering conservative, moderate or
               keep pace with inflation. If you invest solely in
                                                                 aggressive risk styles. It is automatically
               short-term investments (i.e. cash), you subject
                                                                 diversified across investment types (stocks,
               your account to inflation risk. Remember that
                                                                 bonds, and cash instruments) and different
               even relatively low inflation can erode the
                                                                 fund managers. You pick the option that
               value of your portfolio over time.
                                                                 most closely matches your risk profile, and
               Diversify to spread                               professional investment managers do the rest.
                                                                 It’s an easy-to-use, single solution investment.
               your risk
                                                                 A target date investment option is similar to a
               Your best defense in volatile markets is          lifestyle option, except that it links its portfolio
               diversification, which means to spread your       to your expected retirement date. Its portfolio
               money within a variety of investments to          will gradually become more conservative in
               reduce your risk and enhance your return.         its mix of investments as your year of
               Diversifying your investments is an essential     retirement approaches.
               part of a solid investment strategy.
                                                                 Generally target retirement date (lifecycle)
               Diversification does not assure a profit          investment options are designed to be held
               and does not protect against loss in a            beyond the presumed retirement date
               declining market.                                 to offer a continuing investment option



























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