Research, analysis, and thoughts on retirement investments & the future of personalization
Written By:
Will McGough
Chief Investment Officer of Retirement
Will McGough joined Stadion Money Management in 2003 and currently serves as Chief Investment Officer of Stadion’s Retirement investment strategies which comprises oversight of Stadion’s risk-based, target date, and managed account strategies. He is a member of the Investment Committee and Senior Management team, and serves as as Stadion’s Chief Investment Officer, Retirement. He provides thought leadership for Stadion’s participant level, customized retirement solutions, in order to ensure that its glide path technology and asset allocation are able to support all intermediaries in the defined contribution ecosystem. Will received his BBA in Finance from the University of Georgia and also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Will is a member of the CFA Institute, the CFA Society of Atlanta, the American Association of Professional Technical Analysts, National Association of Active Investment Managers, the UGA Alumni Association and National Eagle Scout Association.
Wow, what a year and how appropriate to be using 20/20 hindsight as a metaphor as we look back across the past 12 months. We will all remember very clearly the struggles and challenges our world collectively faced. Investors were initially giddy to begin the new decade and markets rallied over the first 6 weeks of the year.
Then it all came unglued.
Here at TargetQ Views our goal is analysis and thoughts on retirement investing, so it was a pleasure (and a lot of fun) to work with reporter Randall Smith on his article “What the Market Selloff Revealed About Target-Date Funds” published in the Wall Street Journal on April 6th, 2020.
Since the middle of February an undeniable sense of the unknown has taken hold over our country. We are all in the the same boat, just wanting the next answer. As everything has come to a halt, something none of us are used to, and most everything has taken a toll from an invisible enemy.
We truly are living in historic times and, from our family to yours, wish nothing but the best as everyone’s health and safety is all that matters right now. The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has rapidly shut down our economy and put everyone’s health at risk. We recognize that the emergence and spread of the virus has created global uncertainty causing markets to react strongly, which can be unsettling for anyone.
Almost all 401(k) plans have the basic asset classes covered, but the degree to which they vary with regard to basic asset class investment options as well as their inclusion of additional classes, can be notable. Target Date Funds (TDFs) are investment vehicles that, too, use asset classes. Finding out which ones can require a little digging, though, as you'll most likely need to reference a TDF's factsheet or issuer's website.