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I find it insulting when I go to an employer and find they're using a high fee 401k. It just sends so many wrong signals.

And then you ask HR what the fees are and they have no clue.




FWIW this tends to happen with smaller employers that are scrimping on administrative fees. I've found that the situation is generally improving though as people become more aware of what a great 401k plan should look like.

I've also learned to not worry about it so much. You'll generally only stay at an individual employer for a few years. After that you can roll over a 401k into a low fee IRA held by Vanguard (or whomever you prefer). In the end a few years of high fees with a relatively small $ balance shouldn't negatively impact your returns too much. Of course if you're one of those rare folks who spends a decade or more with a single employer you might want to think about things here differently.


> I've also learned to not worry about it so much. You'll generally only stay at an individual employer for a few years. After that you can roll over a 401k into a low fee IRA held by Vanguard (or whomever you prefer)

You can also do a backdoor Roth conversion when you rollover your employer contributions (which can't be Roth contributions.)


Really??? I did not know this. I shall investigate. Not helpful for me personally today but maybe at some point down the road. Thanks!


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