401(K) Check-Up

If you haven't done so recently, it's time to check up on your 401(k). The holidays are over, the market is slowly beginning to stabilize. It's almost time to do your taxes. It's time to take a look at your 401(k) and determine whether you should move some things around a bit. If you decide to leave everything as is, that's fine. Just stop being scared to look at it. You lost money. We all did. Now is the perfect time to take a fresh look and determine what stays, what goes, what gets tweaked.

Now I'm not going to recommend any specific stocks or mutual funds or bond funds. I'm not a stocks expert. My only advice is to look at your retirement savings as unemotionally as you can, at least while you're analyzing how to organize your portfolio. Step back and look at what you've got from a straight numbers perspective. Yes, it's your money. Yes, somebody royally screwed up and made you lose a bunch of money. Yes, you have every right to be beyond pissed about that. But not right now. Right now is time to take a look at things from a mathematical standpoint.

I don't care how scary it is. I don't care who screwed you with your own money. It's still your own money. Your money is your responsibility. No one will ever care about your money more than you will. Do it today. At least start the process. You don't have time not to.