Your best friend, Jiang, is now 27-years old and has worked for the same accounting firm since he graduated from Baruch College five years ago. His current income is good – but not great. He has just started an MBA program at night and plans to eventually take the CPA exam. His boss has told him he can expect a considerable bump in his compensation after he completes his MBA and passes his CPA exam.
Jiang has chosen a traditional 401(k) plan which allows him to defer pre-tax money with each paycheck into his investment account. He could have a Roth 401(k) instead, but he figured it made sense to get the tax break now rather than later.
His plan allows him to buy any individual stock or mutual fund. Based upon his own intuition and some suggestions from his dad’s broker he has put together the following portfolio:
200 Fidelity Advisor high Income Advantage, M Shares
Rydex S&P 500 Index Fund, C Shares
200 Invesco S&P 500 Index Fund, C Shares
5 Alphabet Class A Shares
15 Apple
100 Microsoft
200 Oracle
How much is this portfolio worth? (USE PRICES AS OF CLOSE OF FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021)
Based upon what you have learned in class, what is wrong with this portfolio? Is a “traditional†401(K) the best choice for Jiang?
Jiang knows that you are pretty smart when it comes to investing and has asked for your recommendations. Based upon what you have been taught in this class, why would you recommend either target-date or target-risk funds – or the asset-class ETFs in the mini-project? Be specific as regards how much you would invest in various investments. Explain to Jiang why these are great investments. Be PERSUASIVE. You need to “sell†your ideas to Jiang.
