Listeners are taken behind the scenes to look at the indicators your host follows day by day. Which are positive and which are waving a red flag? Why does the media continue to push the fear button? Why does it work? How is this relevant to your 401k investment choices? Listen in to today's podcast and get these answers and more. Check out the 401k Owner's Manual FanPage for the article mentioned in today's podcast. Thanks for joining us!

Today we're going to answer a listener's questions after having received a ranking report off the 401k Owner's Manual website. What's the difference between "diversification" and "asset allocation?" How do you deal with the struggle of picking the proper funds and what percentage to invest in each fund? The answers will be revealed in this episode. A special bonus for listeners… for the next person to leave a rating and review on iTunes, George will give you his cell phone number and will give you up to 30 minutes of his time - free! Talk to you soon!

Today we’re going to touch on two relevant issues for your 401k: Savings rates and restrictions on changing investment selections offered in your plan. Can you believe one plan actually threatens termination of employment for managing your own investments?Remember, your 401k savings rate is the single most important factor in moving toward a successful retirement outcome. Pay yourself first.

Today we’re going to expand on the relevance of risk - specifically risk avoidance - in light of the rising trend in life expectancy.In the US, a 66 year old male entering retirement in 1970 would’ve had to finance about 9 years of retirement. A new retiree in 2007 would’ve had to finance about 18. Who today can afford to rely on so called safe investments before and even after age 65? Outliving your money is a real issue.I'll play the role of a skunk at a cocktail party...

Tom Howard of AthenaInvest recently published a research report titled Behavioral Portfolio Management which reveals a new look at the misplaced emphasis on volatility AS risk. The startling idea is that the financial industry mistakenly panders to client emotional reactions to short-term investment volatility. In turn, investors are being led into portfolio investments in low return markets. The unintended consequence being they may miss their desired wealth accumulation for retirement simply to get a less bumpy ride along the way.

Behind the Scenes discussion with Chris Carosa, the FiduciaryNew.com Writer who talks frankly about His Exclusive Interview with the Producer of the Provocative PBS Frontline Show called “The Retirement Gamble.” Get an expert Fiduciary's view of the Good, The Bad and the Ugly and his view of the most ironic point about the show. 01:53 – Chris’s fiduciary journey04:06 – Why not ask the source07:00 – Opinion about Martin Smith09:33 – The Good, the Bad & the Ugly10:45 – Martin Smith’s role12:18 – Shock was “editorial decision” 14:50 – Veering into the Bad16:20 – Fidelity and Vanguard say no thanks17:07 – Where it got Ugly17:10 – Active vs. passive funds20:38 – Good vs. bad fees22:15 – Frontline cuts objective interviews25:10 – The irony of the whole show26:31 – Employees’ #1 problem32:21 – Producer says he may…

April 29th. Today I want to continue the followup on the recent PBS documentary being aired on the FRONTLINE channel titled “The Retirement Gamble.” Since the last Podcast, I’ve spent some time watching the Twitter feed about the Show. As I expected, the buzz seems to be around fees and how index mutual funds are so much better than managed mutual funds in terms of cost and performance. However, new information has come to light you don't want to miss...

Today is April 24th. A listener gave me a heads’ up late last night about a PBS documentary being aired on their FRONTLINE channel titled “The retirement Gamble.” Produced by Martin Smith a FRONTLINE Correspondent.I watched it online this morning and felt compelled to share my impressions with you. I gave the program the following gradesA+ for the "awareness" piece ✔D- for the "acceptance" piece ✔F for the "action" piece ✔

Today is April 18th. This is Episode #30! Today I want to focus on just how bad the news really is. This past week I was delighted to see an article in the Guardian, a UK newspaper titled: News is bad for you - and giving up reading it will make you happier. It’s an edited extract from an essay first published at dobelli.com. The Art of Thinking Clearly: Better Thinking, Better Decisions by Rolf Dobelli. I’ve posted a link to the article on The 401k Owners Manual FaceBook Fan Page and would highly recommend you check it out. The article has already gotten 450 comments and has been shared on Facebook over 41,000 times! I guess he struck a nerve.

Today is April 10th. The Market’s closed; and, the financial media is abuzz with the Dow and S&P closing at record highs. Today I want to focus on expectations. Your expectations. particularly where your retirement money is concerned.The dream - the hope - the expectation.How does the Markowitz Efficient Frontier play into your expectations?Enjoy!