403b Investment Options....HELP!

[Broadway2019]

Got it! Thank you for the explanation RWD. I don't plan on leaving until I retire since they have a great pension. I guess I will leave it at 25-30 years.

[MountainTown]

I don't mean to hijack this thread but I think it's relevant and I posted another now...

My wife is in the same boat. In fact I helped her start a 457 with Valic. Later on I noticed they were charging about .4 to .5% for fees. Of course I have researched and researched and can't find their management fee disclosed anywhere. My question is...since it's a 457 does  this maybe outweigh things? My thoughts are yes. In fact, we have another 457 that's from another job(she recently changed jobs) and I am torn over whether I should ask her to liquidate it or not as it also is about .44%.

Luckily the 403b fees are cheaper at .2%. But I have asked her to focus on the 457 as it creates so many opportunities for us...she can stay home if we have a baby....goto school....payoff a house...or fund early retirement!

That being said I was pretty surprised when I looked at her statements and saw the fees adding up as I was very deliberate in picking vanguard funds for her and never saw any management fee mentioned.

Help anyone? Are the awesome powers of the 457 worth a .5% fee? And if so...would you leave an old one hanging around or would you liquidate or roll into an IRA asap? Again, hate to do it as I love the 457 rules(and you lose them if you roll to IRA).

[Broadway2019]

So we just signed the paperwork for PlanMember Services Direct Program. It was .35% annual fee, but after that just the fund expense fee. So Vanguard (VSTAX) would be .35% +.04% making this .39% to invest. Not the best but certainly not the worst. What I found irritating is I spoke to many companies and no one offered this option when I spoke to them. I had to dig around their crappy website and finally found this option after reading a lot of tiny print. When I asked about it they did not want to help me. Basically said you can go print the paperwork yourself and couldn't wait to get off the phone with me.

Also, what is so great about the 457 plan? The 403b and 457 looked the same to me.

[MDM]

Also, what is so great about the 457 plan? The 403b and 457 looked the same to me.

A governmental 457b has one advantage over a 403b: money may be withdrawn without penalty (not without tax), regardless of age, after leaving the employer.

[BlueDove]

Looks like the OP did not go with Lincoln Life, but just wanted to put a warning on this topic that, at least for me, the only option with Lincoln Life was an annuity, which comes with surrender charges of 6% to 1% if you move the funds.  Yay high expenses AND a surrender charge - NOT. 

My dilemma about whether to move in the last two years and suffer the surrender charge is here if anyone cares to weigh in, I would be grateful:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/surrender-charge-vs-high-fees-am-i-looking-at-this-right/