be an <a target=“_blank“ href=“https://www.fxrevenues.org/“ target=“_blank“>excellent investment tool</a> for
hands-off investors who are near or already retired.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>With target-date funds,
investors can obtain a suitable, stable risk-return profile through asset
allocation.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>As your retirement
draws near, the fund will periodically and automatically readjust its
investments, following the performance of a safer asset mix, such as ramping up
your bond holdings and reducing your stock holdings.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>Still, a target-date
fund has advantages and disadvantages that should be considered carefully.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>Why Consider a Target
Date Fund?</p><p class=“MsoListParagraph“>1.
Helps Young Employees</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>A target date fund can
be significantly helpful to you if you’re a young employee. That’s mainly
because of the amount of time you have.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>You have a long
investment horizon as someone working in their 20s or 30s. Therefore, in a target
date fund’s early year, your investments should primarily include stocks since
they are typically a good bet for generating long-term returns.</p><p class=“MsoListParagraph“>2.
Instant Diversification</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>A single target date
fund can provide you with a well-diversified portfolio of domestic and
international stocks and bonds.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>In addition, target
date funds’ asset allocation is readjusted as you near retirement. So, if
you’re investments were initially focused on stocks, the fund will shift the
focus to bonds as you prepare for retirement.</p><p class=“MsoListParagraph“>3.
Rebalances on the Investor’s Behalf</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>Target date funds are
built to perform the rebalancing on the investor’s behalf.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>While an investor’s
risk tolerance becomes less and less as they age, they may still end up with an
investment portfolio that doesn’t align with their needs. For example, a market
in a solid bullish condition could leave you having too much money in stocks and
fewer bets on bonds.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>With a target date
fund, you could go for years without checking your retirement investments and
remain appropriately invested.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>Why Think Twice About Opting
for a Target Date Fund?</p><p class=“MsoListParagraph“>1.
One-Size-Fits-All Nature</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>The one-size-fits-all
nature can be a huge disadvantage of target-date funds since this makes the
fund quite incapable of considering or adapting to the current state of the
economy.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>For example, a target
date fund’s default concept is that bonds will always be less risky than stocks.
However, this is not entirely accurate in all economic situations, especially
right now when we are seeing higher inflation and interest rates.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>Because of this
one-size-fits-all nature, investors can be caught off guard during unexpected
economic events.</p><p class=“MsoListParagraph“>2.
Lack of Diversity</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>Target-date funds have
a simple design, but this may not work for some investors who may need a
broader mix of assets than stocks and bonds. That’s because they may have to
consider more than their estimated retirement year, like existing assets such
as their <a target=“_blank“ href=“https://fxrevenues.com/signup“>real estate or savings</a>. </p><p class=“MsoListParagraph“>3.
Complicated Fee Structure</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>The fee structure of a
target-date fund can be complicated to grasp, as it has a management fee plus a
fund-of-funds management fee.</p><p class=“MsoNormal“>That means your
target-date fund portfolio doesn’t only have one mutual fund. Instead, it
consists of several mutual funds with different expense ratios. </p><p class=“MsoNormal“>Therefore, you should
properly research what the firm may charge you, as the fee structures vary
depending on the fund company.</p>
This article was written by ForexLive at forexlive.com.