What’s in your 401(k)? Why boomers and Gen X really need to know.
Key Takeaways
Your target-date fund might have the wrong mix for you, and new alternatives could be risky.
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2 min read
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investment
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July 5, 2025
06:44 PM
MarketWatch
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Advanced ➔ Results The View From UnretirementWhat’s in your 401(k)
Why boomers and Gen X really need to know
Your target-date fund might have the wrong mix for you, and new alternatives could be riskyLast d: July 5, 2025 at 2:44 p
ETFirst Published: July 2, 2025 at 10:30 a
ETResizeListen(9 min) Photo: Getty ImagesAs stock and bond have whipsawed this year, you may be afraid to look at your 401(k) account balance
But all of the volatility actually makes this an opportune time to look under the hood of your 401(k) if you’re nearing retirement or already there
The conventional retirement- advice is to “set it and forget it” — but at this stage of life, you can’t afford not to know what you’re invested in, considering that 401(k)s are most Americans’ biggest liquid asset
The Author Richard EisenbergRichard Eisenberg is a freelance personal finance writer and editor and co-host of the “Friends Talk Money” podcast
Most recently, he was managing editor of the Next Avenue site and editor of its Money and Policy and Work and Purpose channels
He is author of “How to Avoid a Mid-Life Financial Crisis” and “The Money Book of Personal Finance” and s in New Jersey
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