401(k) allocation

[runningthroughFIRE]

Hello everyone.  I was introduced to MMM late last Fall by a good friend of mine in college, and have since gobbled up every post with vigor, and have been a lurker in these forums for a few months now.  I graduated last month with my accounting degree and moved to Indiana, where I was fortunate enough to have landed a salaried position with benefits.  I just started last week, and asked HR to get an account ready for me to start contributing, so I can start socking away tax-free savings as soon as I can.  However, I don't have much knowledge about the various funds that are available, and I figured what better place to ask for suggestions than the MMM community!

My company has its 401(k) through Fidelity, and the expense ratios are all similar and quite low, since it's a Fortune 500 company.  The company matches 6%, but I'm planning on contributing 10% this year to build up an emergency fund/pay down some student loans, and max it out next year.  I was thinking I would do 100% stocks, since I'm not very concerned about temporary booms and busts in the market and won't freak out if my portfolio takes a sudden hit.  The available funds are:

Vanguard Institutional Index Fund (Institutional Shares)
Spartan Extended Market Index Fund (Fidelity Advantage Class)
Dreyfus/The Boston Company Small Cap Value Fund (Class I)
Fidelity Contrafund (Class K)
T. Rowe Price Growth Stock Collective Trust
Hartford SmallCap Growth HLS Fund (Class IA)
T. Rowe Price Institutional Small-Cap Stock Fund
Fidelity Diversified International Fund (Class K)
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund (Admiral Shares)

Any suggestions would be appreciated.  This is my first "real" job after college, and I'd like to get started on the right track! Thank you in advance.

tl;dr First big-kid job. How do should I allocate my 401(k) funds

[forummm]

What are the expense ratios for the funds?

[r3dt4rget]

All my eggs would be in the Vanguard Institutional Index Fund since it's got the lowest ER of 0.04% and tracks the S&P500. Some might advise you to pick up some of the Vanguard international index fund. Personal preference, really. 100% stocks is fine. A 90:10 ratio is fine as well if you prefer. As long as you put money into low fee, diversified index funds you really cannot go wrong.

[runningthroughFIRE]

What are the expense ratios for the funds?

I don't have specific ratios for each fund, but they are all in the range of 0.04% to 0.12%.  I can adjust the portfolio whenever I want later, but I'm looking for something to start with while I learn more about the funds themselves.  I realize this sounds rather absurd, but I figured such a small difference in ratios would be negligible for the first few months while I settle into my job and finish training/orientation.  Presumably the lower ratios belong to the index funds, and the higher to the actively managed funds.

All my eggs would be in the Vanguard Institutional Index Fund since it's got the lowest ER of 0.04% and tracks the S&P500. Some might advise you to pick up some of the Vanguard international index fund. Personal preference, really. 100% stocks is fine. A 90:10 ratio is fine as well if you prefer. As long as you put money into low fee, diversified index funds you really cannot go wrong.

I was thinking I'd put the bulk of it in there, but I don't like the idea of putting all my eggs in one basket, so I'd likely pick up some International Funds.

One issue I had was that the Vanguard International fund has had historically poor returns over the past 10 years (I know, past results =/= future performance, and 10 years is a bit short).  I'm thinking the index they use might need some fine-tuning

[seattlecyclone]

The real question is what you want your overall asset allocation to be. You said 100% stocks, so that's a start. What percentage do you want to have in domestic stocks? What percentage international? Do you want to bias toward small-cap stocks? Add in REITs? Decide how you want to invest your money independently of what funds are available in your 401(k). Once you have figured this out, choosing 401(k) funds is a lot easier. You'll probably end up allocating the biggest portion to the Vanguard Institutional S&P 500 index, with some going into the Vanguard International Index. Those two funds won't get you exposure to small-cap and mid-cap US stocks, so you'll have to pick one of the other 401(k) funds or invest your IRA money in these sectors.

[r3dt4rget]

What are the expense ratios for the funds?

I don't have specific ratios for each fund, but they are all in the range of 0.04% to 0.12%.  I can adjust the portfolio whenever I want later, but I'm looking for something to start with while I learn more about the funds themselves.  I realize this sounds rather absurd, but I figured such a small difference in ratios would be negligible for the first few months while I settle into my job and finish training/orientation.  Presumably the lower ratios belong to the index funds, and the higher to the actively managed funds.

All my eggs would be in the Vanguard Institutional Index Fund since it's got the lowest ER of 0.04% and tracks the S&P500. Some might advise you to pick up some of the Vanguard international index fund. Personal preference, really. 100% stocks is fine. A 90:10 ratio is fine as well if you prefer. As long as you put money into low fee, diversified index funds you really cannot go wrong.

I was thinking I'd put the bulk of it in there, but I don't like the idea of putting all my eggs in one basket, so I'd likely pick up some International Funds.

One issue I had was that the Vanguard International fund has had historically poor returns over the past 10 years (I know, past results =/= future performance, and 10 years is a bit short).  I'm thinking the index they use might need some fine-tuning

40% of the revenue generated by S&P500 companies is from outside the US. The S&P500 gives you plenty of international exposure in that way. Personally I don't bother with specific international funds. They usually have higher expenses as well.