Standard & Poor's 401K Planning Guide [Paperback]

Alan J. Miller (Author)

Book Description

Series: K Planning Guide/Every Employee's Guide to Making 401 | Publication Date: March 1, 1995

401(k) plans are the fastest growing employee benefit in the U.S. Yet few plan participants understand what they need to know in order to get the most out of their 401(k). That is about to change. Written by a Wall Street expert with more than 30 years of hands-on experience, this book provides definitive help for all 401(k) plan participants. Alan J. Miller shows you how you can use your 401(k) to best advantage and explains in easy-to-understand language the basic principles of investing and financial planning. Miller describes strategies for personalizing your own retirement plan. He shows you how to avail yourself of tax deferral opportunities - and explains why it is important that you do so. He discusses the circumstances under which you should consider changing your asset allocation - and when you should not. And he tells you everything you should know about "life cycle investing"; the "magic of compounding"; the advantages of diversification; employer "matching" grants; "lump sum distributions"; the different risk-reward attributes of stocks, bonds, money market funds, and GICs; and much, much more. You'll get the most up-to-date information, advice, and resources - including worksheets, a psychological risk profile quiz that will help you determine just how much risk you are comfortable assuming, and a variety of sample portfolios - all designed to enable you to maximize your potential for a secure financial future.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Miller is a pension plan consultant who has written before on the subject of investing (Alan J. Miller's Socially Responsible Investing: How To Invest with Your Conscience, New York Inst. of Finance, 1991). There have been scores of titles published in recent years discussing or promoting various retirement plans. Miller's current publication focuses on one type of investing, rather than blurring the issue by trying to cover many types of investment plans. Readers are taken by the hand through the process of understanding what a 401(k) plan is and how it differs from other plans, and they are also shown the important considerations involved with 401(k) investing. To this novice investor, the most interesting sections discuss how to decide what plan is the best for each individual, depending on financial situations as well as personal risk tolerance. The last chapters illustrate through various scenarios how individuals might invest according to their financial situations and their risk tolerance, and the results of those decisions. A brief glossary is included. The writing style here is friendly, and the vocabulary used is appropriate for even the most novice investor. Highly recommended for any library interested in basic personal investing materials.?Margaret B. Bartlett, Rochester Inst. of Technology, N.Y.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070421978
• ISBN-13: 978-0070421974
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,404,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for fresh graduates and starters in 401K too!, October 10, 2000

By 

Jeremy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Standard & Poor's 401K Planning Guide (Paperback)

I remember during my first job after graduating, our HR rep was telling me about my company's 401K plan and how good it is compared to others given the plan options and company match and boy did I turn a deaf ear to her! Like many new graduates I was just happy to get the paycheck and had no clue about retirement plans and IRAs. The older wiser employees used to talk about 401K during lunch etc and I wouldn't know what the hell they are talking about. I did figure out that it is something 'good' and everyone is ought to enroll.

I finally went to the bookstore and picked this book (at random). It turned out to be a life saver. It clearly explains what actually 401 plans are and how they work. It did not assume any previous knowledge on the subject. The book talks about the legal aspects of the plan as well and ofcourse how the employees can take advantage of this. You will clearly understand pre-tax deductions, company match, taxes relevant to 401K, what plan administrator is, what kind of different plan options are out there etc.

Most importantly it gives you an idea as to how you can set financial goals for your retirement and based on that and your age now how much you should contribute to your plan. There are many other facts about 401K covered such as taking a loan out of your 401 if you want to buy a house for instance. Ofcourse there are some 'penalties' associated with it and the book does a great job explaining those.

After reading this book I realized how important it is to enroll ASAP in 401K plan coz why the hell you'd want to miss out on $ for $ company match. Its literally free money for god sake!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice overview of how to handle your 401k plan, December 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Standard & Poor's 401K Planning Guide (Paperback)

This book does a great job of handling the task of explaining 401k investment options, asset allocations, and 401k distributions. The sample asset allocations for different styles of investors are great examples. Unfortunately the book does not cover Roth IRAs as the book was published before Roths came out. Otherwise a great book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Book - Old Information, September 9, 2003

By 

Eric Park (Washington, Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Standard & Poor's 401K Planning Guide (Paperback)

The author and the organization did a great job of covering the topic, however. The however is that it should be disclosed that much has changed in the qualified plan area, tax law changes and such, that effects this books revelance. I would encourage a update - or encourage readers to buy another book. Avoid this title until it is updated. This is not a place to be behind the curve.