Protect Your 401K

Checked your 401K lately? Going back to about a year ago many of these retirement accounts have shrunk by 30%, some even more. What Happened?

You have been putting money in for years and your employer may have been contributing to your plan also. It is not supposed to get smaller. You are planning to spend that money some time in the future when you decide to quit working. Along with your Social Security payments you should be able to maintain your current lifestyle. But not if your 401K and IRA keep going down and down.

The is no shortage of bad news when mutual funds such as Fidelity Magellan is off more than 30% and Janus 20 is down 63% and I could go on and on. Now you have a sharp pain in your stomach when you read your statement and when you call your broker he gives you the old song and dance about being in there "for the long haul, don't sell". It is not his money.

If you have your 401K with your employer who has a "professional manager" please don't blame the boss. He is at the mercy of that "professional" too who is slowly having you all go broke. These money manglers are taught the three great myths of Wall Street - Do Research, Buy and Hold, Dollar Cost Average. These doctrines have been promoted for so many years that they have become conventional wisdom. You don't need anyone to tell you they do not work. All you have to do is examine the results.

Buy and Hold is the greatest killer of profits. I know. Almost every broker will never tell you to sell when your stock or mutual funds starts declining yet every professional trader will have that as his first rule: have an exit strategy when your investment starts to either lose money or take away profits you have made. If you had been an owner of Janus 20 when it went from 40 to 94 and had a planned exit strategy you would have sold out near 80 to protect your profit. Now it is trading about 35 and after 2 years you have a loss instead of doubling (and keeping) your money.

How can you protect yourself against this type of loss? Don't rely on your broker or financial planner. They have too many clients to be able to watch your money. I said your money. You are the only one who cares. And if you don't want to take an interest in protecting it then you will be eating dog food instead of steak at age 65.

As the mutual funds go up in your 401K or IRA you must take a few minutes once each week or at least once each month to check the price. As you saw the $40 fund advance you set a mental stop-loss value of from 7% to 15% and when it goes down to that price you must immediately transfer those funds either to a different fund that is still advancing or to a Money Market account. It is that simple and there is nothing complicated about it.

If you don't protect your retirement account no one else will. Start today.

Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!" has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.

house refresh service Morton Grove ..

In The News:

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of protection to your accounts. Instead of relying only on a password, MFA requires you to verify your identity using two or more methods.

Scientists from Duke, Harvard, and the University of Otago have unveiled a game-changing tool called DunedinPACNI. It uses a single AI brain scan to reveal how fast a person is biologically aging.

A disturbing wave of fake agent phone scams is sweeping across the United States, catching people off guard and draining their savings.

Emojis aren't just playful add-ons; they're powerful tools for building stronger connections in our increasingly digital world.

Google has taken a major step toward the future of clean energy by partnering with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), an MIT spin-out working to build one of the world’s first commercial fusion reactors.

If you create and share art online, you might have seen messages warning that Facebook's parent company, Meta, claims the right to use or even sell anything you post, whether it's pictures, poems, or artwork.

Cybercriminals hit Qantas in a major data breach that exposed information from up to six million customers.

Having reliable, loud, and timely emergency alerts on your phone or device is important because when severe weather strikes, every second counts.

Here's how your daily brew is becoming the foundation for greener buildings.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, are transforming how we learn. But what does this mean for AI and learning retention?

Modern AI data centers use much more electricity than traditional cloud servers. In many cases, the existing power grid cannot keep up. One innovative solution is gaining traction: repurposed EV batteries for AI data centers.

Microsoft 365 and Outlook users are being targeted by a tactic that injects fake billing alerts directly into their calendars.

Researchers are now showing us that old smartphones as data centers could be the next big thing in sustainable tech.

Scientists have created micro-robots for sinus infection treatment that can enter the nasal cavity, eliminate bacteria directly at the source, and exit without harming surrounding tissue.

Let's examine how your data is collected in everyday life, who is buying and selling it, what happens to it afterward, and, most importantly, what you can do to protect yourself.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the U.K. developed small robots called "Pipebots" that can travel inside water pipes to find and potentially repair leaks, all without any excavation.

A groundbreaking new study has uncovered disturbing AI blackmail behavior that many people are unaware of yet.

Four teams of autonomous humanoid robots competed in China's first AI soccer tournament, demonstrating advanced capabilities in ball detection and independent decision-making.

The ID. Buzz autonomous van features self-driving technology with 13 cameras, nine LiDAR units and five radars after Volkswagen partnered with Hamburg and Uber for 2026 deployments.

Social Security phishing scams use urgency and impersonation to steal personal data. Learn how to spot fake SSA emails and implement 10 protective measures.

French startup Pazzi Robotics created an AI-powered pizza robot that made pies in under five minutes without human help, but it closed in 2022 despite patents and expert partnerships.

Reclaim your time from big tech with effective screen time reduction strategies for iPhone and Android, featuring steps to limit app usage and create phone-free zones.

Amazon Prime Day shoppers face threats from 120,000-plus scam websites as cybercriminals prepare phishing traps and malware ahead of the July sales event.

Fox News' AI Newsletter brings you the latest on this rapidly evolving technology.

The AEON humanoid robot tackles labor challenges with Nvidia AI, Microsoft Azure cloud and advanced spatial awareness, working alongside industry leaders Schaeffler and Pilatus.

Protect Your 401K

Stocks & Mutual Fund