New 401k Provider - Help Pick funds?

[EngineerOurFI]

I'm a simple guy who just wants a VFAIX or VTI/VTSAX type option - definitely want 100% equities etc. as I'm only ~32.  Unfortunately, while my last 401k provider offered such options, my new one appears to offer a more convoluted set of options.  Would love some help sifting through this.  For now I just shoved it in the 2055 Target Date fund option, but that doesn't seem to be ideal.  Even worse, looks like our new provider literally limits the number of times we can transfer to like 1x per 30 day period.  Never heard of such a limitation.....guessing the company did this to save costs ... #facepalm.  So since I need to get it right the first time and since I had to go to like 10238091328 different windows to gather this information since the UI of the new provider is absolutely awful, I wanted to crowdsource some input on my options to make informed decision.  I've crossed out the ones that look like terrible ideas based on my investment desires (100% equities).

FIJEX - Frost Total Return Bond Institutional Fund - 0.47% Gross Expense
EIBIX - Eaton Vance Income Fund of Boston I Fund - 0.78% Gross Expense
Ticker not given - State Street U.S. Bond Index Securities Lending Series XIV - 0.02% Gross Expense
VIPIX - Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Institutional Fund - 0.07%
VTIFX - Vanguard Total International Bond Index Institutional Fund - 0.07%
Vanguard 2055 Target Date Retirement Date Model - 0.38%
Vanguard 2060 Target Date Retirement Date Model
Vanguard 2065 Target Date Retirement Date Model
RGAGX - American Funds Growth Fund of America R6 Fund - 0.30%
ACGQX - Invesco Growth and Income R5 Fund - 0.48%
VIIIX - Vanguard Institutional Index Institutional Plus Fund - 0.02%
FSSNX - Fidelity Small Cap Index Fund - 0.03%
GSSIX - Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Inst Fund - 0.99% (this looks like a worse version of FSSNX.. so crossing it out)
VMCPX - Vanguard Mid Cap Index Institutional Plus Fund - 0.03%
VSGIX - Vanguard Small Cap Growth Index Institutional Fund - 0.06%
DFGEX - DFA Global Real Estate Securities I Fund - 0.34% (Crossing out as i don't want to invest 401k in real estate/REITs)
Harris Associates Oakmark International Class 1 Fund - 0.75%
VFWSX - Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Inst Fund - 0.08%

Alternatively, it look like I may be able to open a "Schwab Personal Choice Retirement Account® (PCRA)" within my 401k and maybe only get charged a $100 fee per year from my 401k provider to select funds through the Schwab Personal Choice Retirement Account® (PCRA)?  I need to dig into the paperwork on this in more detail.  This is a new type of option which I've frankly never heard about before.  My $275k or so in 401k makes a potential $100 fee relatively small.

Thanks for any advice!

[MrThatsDifferent]

This doesn’t seem like a case study, there’s an investor section on the forums, try posting there.

[jeroly]

VIIIX seems to be an S&P 500 tracker fund, so combining it with the midcap and smallcap funds would be a low-ER way of 'buying the market.'

[RWD]

VIIIX seems to be the standout choice here

[Mappocalypse]

Just adding my two cents, but be very careful in the expense ratios. Check the prospectuses of the funds you are considering on buying.
Just as a personal example, VBTLX is available for purchase in our 401k plan with a 0.05% expense ratio.
But if you read the fine print, our 401k custodian charges an additional 0.3% on the expenses, bringing the net expense to 0.35%.

Their own "special fee" seems to differ depending on the fund too, so again, I hope you'll give it a good comb-through.

[tamuaggie2011]

Definitely put it into VIIIX.

You can look at the prospectus as others have said as well, but essentially VIIIX is an S&P 500 tracking fund that is only available to "Institutional Investors". If you look it up on Vanguard's site I think the initial minimum investment is $100,000,000. By having this within a 401(k) though they give individuals access to it (and the practically zero fees).

Based on what you have said about yourself, and my own personal opinion as well (I'm 4 months shy of 32 myself) for someone in your situation VIIIX is the ultimate win and I'd definitely just plug all future 401k contributions to that fund in a "set it and forget it" type mode.

[Retireatee1]

I'm a big fan of S&P 500 index funds (VIIIX here), but also like to balance them with an international stock index fund (VFWSX here).  Since you want 100% equities, it would be a two-fund portfolio instead of the common three-fund portfolio approach which includes a bond fund.

I do appreciate the convenience of target date funds, but concede that they can suffer from fee churn.

The one rebalance per month limitation isn't that onerous in my opinion.

[Sanitary Stache]

My 457b has similar choices.  I chose the S&P index tracker and the international index option as well in an 80/20 split. I guess I am going to leave it, but I don't remember why I felt the need to buy the international index fund.

[Steeze]

+1

VIIIX - Vanguard Institutional Index Institutional Plus Fund - 0.02%

Doesn't get more simple than that. similar fund in my 401k is ~2% fees. Congrats.

[HPstache]

I'm going to say VIIIX, but RGAGX is one of the few managed funds that I really like.  We have that fund in our 401K at work and it has fairly consistently beat the total stock market fund... it has done particularly well vs. the benchmark during the pandemic.  I am a good little MMM-er though and have my 401K invested in the total stock market fund, but would have been better off had I chosen RGAGX.

[RWD]

I'm going to say VIIIX, but RGAGX is one of the few managed funds that I really like.  We have that fund in our 401K at work and it has fairly consistently beat the total stock market fund... it has done particularly well vs. the benchmark during the pandemic.  I am a good little MMM-er though and have my 401K invested in the total stock market fund, but would have been better off had I chosen RGAGX.

Of course, past performance does not guarantee future returns.

[Steeze]

I'm going to say VIIIX, but RGAGX is one of the few managed funds that I really like.  We have that fund in our 401K at work and it has fairly consistently beat the total stock market fund... it has done particularly well vs. the benchmark during the pandemic.  I am a good little MMM-er though and have my 401K invested in the total stock market fund, but would have been better off had I chosen RGAGX.

Of course, past performance does not guarantee future returns.

Completely unrelated but ... Sometimes, when I am lusting after a fun project car, usually of the RWD & Japanese variety, I try to justify my thoughts by saying to myself, RWD & v8rx7guy are allowed to have fun cars, why can't I have a fun car? Then I get in my prius and drive home. Maybe when I am FI I will let myself indulge.

Ok, carry on. SP500 and such.

[RWD]

I'm going to say VIIIX, but RGAGX is one of the few managed funds that I really like.  We have that fund in our 401K at work and it has fairly consistently beat the total stock market fund... it has done particularly well vs. the benchmark during the pandemic.  I am a good little MMM-er though and have my 401K invested in the total stock market fund, but would have been better off had I chosen RGAGX.

Of course, past performance does not guarantee future returns.

Completely unrelated but ... Sometimes, when I am lusting after a fun project car, usually of the RWD & Japanese variety, I try to justify my thoughts by saying to myself, RWD & v8rx7guy are allowed to have fun cars, why can't I have a fun car? Then I get in my prius and drive home. Maybe when I am FI I will let myself indulge.

Ok, carry on. SP500 and such.

My cars have been an excellent investment over the last year. Up about $3.5k after expenses.

[HPstache]

I'm going to say VIIIX, but RGAGX is one of the few managed funds that I really like.  We have that fund in our 401K at work and it has fairly consistently beat the total stock market fund... it has done particularly well vs. the benchmark during the pandemic.  I am a good little MMM-er though and have my 401K invested in the total stock market fund, but would have been better off had I chosen RGAGX.

Of course, past performance does not guarantee future returns.

Completely unrelated but ... Sometimes, when I am lusting after a fun project car, usually of the RWD & Japanese variety, I try to justify my thoughts by saying to myself, RWD & v8rx7guy are allowed to have fun cars, why can't I have a fun car? Then I get in my prius and drive home. Maybe when I am FI I will let myself indulge.

Ok, carry on. SP500 and such.

My cars have been an excellent investment over the last year. Up about $3.5k after expenses.

As have mine!  I've created a small business around the hobby.

[PDXTabs]

Personally, if that is Vanguard 2065 Target Date fund is anything like VLXVX then I'd go with that for vastly more diversification than the SP500. I know that it's not 100% equities, which I want, and you want too. But I'd still pick it.

[ericrugiero]

Most of my money would go into VIIIX but I might spread some around into international, small cap and mid cap.  These all seem like reasonable options. 

I might do something like this:
60%   VIIIX - Vanguard Institutional Index Institutional Plus Fund - 0.02%
10%   FSSNX - Fidelity Small Cap Index Fund - 0.03%
10%   VMCPX - Vanguard Mid Cap Index Institutional Plus Fund - 0.03%
20%   VFWSX - Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Inst Fund - 0.08%

It would be hard to go wrong with 100% VIIIX though. 

For reference, I'm curretly 43% FID 500 index, 33% FID ext market index and 23% FID intl index.  My fees are all similar to what you listed.