401(k) Specialist Podcast

Peter Mallouk says 401k plans are expensive, overly complex, needlessly complicated and involve too many third parties. While he’s a major advocate for the retirement savings vehicle, he's nonetheless on a mission to make it more effective for plan sponsors and participants.

As president of Creative Planning, Inc., one of the largest wealth management firms in the nation with almost $50 billion in assets, he's leading the charge for lower fees, higher balances and better service.

He recently acquired America’s Best 401(k), a low-cost provider determined to disrupt the DC space. We asked him about the acquisition, industry innovation overall and what’s next for employer-sponsored plans.

The always interesting and incredibly insightful Benz joins us to discuss her newfound FIRE respect. She also tackles critics of the traditional 60/40 portfolio and explains how to handle rising correlations in the current COVID crisis.

401k auto-enrollment, deferral, and escalation? Thank Shlomo Benartzi, a pioneer in the field of behavioral economics. He developed the highly-regarded Save More Tomorrow system with Nobel Prize winner Richard Thaler, which uses subtle “nudges” to redirect our biases and bad decisions to healthier habits.

“We have not repealed the laws of fear and greed,” Liz Ann Sonders, Charles Schwab Chief Investment Strategist, wisely notes when asked about factors contributing to current volatility. Take a pandemic, economic crisis, piles of stimulus, and add in technology and hyper-connectivity and there is A LOT happening—to say the least. Thankfully, Sonders is here to help sort it out, clueing us in on where we are and (potentially) where we’re headed.

Chris Hogan is a best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Chris Hogan Show. A colleague of financial media mogul Dave Ramsey, Hogan’s known for his electrifying presentations and no-nonsense approach to building wealth. A smart and steady hand is what retirement plan participants need now more than ever, and it’s exactly what Hogan provides. He speaks specifically to CARES Act-enabled 401k withdrawals, why they’re so damaging in a time of panic, and how to ensure clearer heads prevail. 

The controversial financier and former Trump Administration official gets real about the “lunatic-in-chief,” a possible Biden VP pick and the inclusion of alternative investments in 401ks.