Please visit our Do-It-Yourself page.

Articles

• Recommendations to the 2024 ERISA Advisory Council: Study of Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIAs), Specifically Target Date Funds, Ron Surz, September 12, 2024.
• The Soteria Story, Told in Videos and Articles, Ron Surz, February 18, 2024.
• Join the Personalization of 401(k) Investing, Ron Surz, October 30, 2023. Personalization is revolutionizing 401(k) investing.
• The Personalization of 401(k) Investments: Personalization vs. Customization, Ron Surz, October 6, 2023.
• A dozen slides with links to articles that explain the details of Why Target Date Funds Should Be Sued, Ron Surz, June 15, 2023.
• A Blossoming Opportunity for 401(k) Financial Advisors. New System Puts Advisors behind the Wheel of a Remarkable 401(k) Breakthrough. Ron Surz, May 18, 2023.
• Recordkeeper Enables Fiduciaries to Provide Superior Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIAs). Ron Surz, May 11, 2023.
• Measuring Target Date Fund Performance, Ron Surz, March 27, 2023.
• New Disruptive Innovation Replaces Target Date Funds and Managed Accounts in 401(k) Plans. Soteria Personalized Target Date Accounts Ron Surz, January 23, 2023.
• Inroducing Soteria, Ron Surz, November 26, 2022.
• 15 Revealing Insights into Target Date Funds, Ron Surz, September 18, 2022.
• Target Date Fund Revelations, Ron Surz, August 8, 2022.
• Stock and Bond Markets Go Crazy in July 2022, Ron Surz, July 31, 2022. How much longer will the insanity last?
• Letter to Department of Labor (DoL), Ron Surz, July 25, 2022.
• Custom Target Date Funds are a Big Fraud, Ron Surz, July 14, 2022.
• Most Target Date Funds are Dangerous for People Near Retirement, Ron Surz, July 12, 2022. The 2008 lesson is being re-learned. Only three TDS are safe. The rest are risky.
• Anthology of Target Date Fund Crime, Ron Surz, June 17, 2022.
• Two Types of Target Date Funds, Ron Surz, March 1, 2022.
• Prepare for What's Next, Ron Surz, March 1, 2022.
• And Now You Know ... the Rest of the Story Ron Surz, February 27, 2022.
• The Ideal Glidepath for Target Date Funds Actually Protects Those Near Retirement, lead article in the 1Q2022 issue of Journal of Benefits and Compensation, Ron Surz, January 17, 2022.
• A Review of the Past 96 Years and a Couple of Thoughts on the Year Ahead, Ron Surz, January 12, 2022.
• Target Date Funds for Union and Small Employer 401(k) Plans, Ron Surz, November 11, 2021.
• A Collection of Must-Read Articles, Ron Surz, September 3, 2021.
• Open Letter to Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Regarding Target Date Fund Risk and Practices, Ron Surz, June 22, 2021.
• Congressional Request for Review of Target Date Fund Risk and Practices, Ron Surz, June 9, 2021.
• Letter to GAO, Ron Surz, June 7, 2021.
• The Ideal 401(k) Plan for Unions. Ron Surz, January 12, 2021.
• My Legacy: A Dozen Innovations. Ron Surz, December 9, 2020.
• This Crazy Stock Market: A Story Told with Pictures. Ron Surz, December 1, 2020.
• The Economy is Suffering a Stroke, not Sniffles. Federal Relief is an Expensive and Dangerous Sedative. Ron Surz, August 6, 2020.
• Who Should Design Target Date Funds? Who Should Not? Ron Surz, July 30, 2020.
• Union 401(k) Plans Need Safer Target Date Funds , Ron Surz, July 26, 2020.
• Five Ways Target Date Funds can be Safer, SMARTer and Better, Ron Surz, July 20, 2020.
• Immunize Your Target Date Fund, Ron Surz, July 15, 2020.
• Five Reasons to Use Smart Funds, Ron Surz, July 15, 2020.
• Pandemic Heightens Concerns About Target Date Fund Risk: Most Are More than 85% in Risky Assets at Their Target Date, Ron Surz, June 8, 2020.
• Damage Control: Investment Lessons from the Coronavirus (so far) Ron Surz, June 5, 2020.
• Mirror Mirror, Which is the Fairest Target Date Fund of All? Ron Surz, April 23, 2020.
• Don't Ruin a Happy Retirement, Ron Surz, October 1, 2019.
• The Target Date Fund Standard, Ron Surz, May 9, 2019.
• The Thinking Man’s Target Date Fund , Ron Surz, April 13, 2019.
• Aggressive versus Conservative Target Date Funds: Performance From 2007-2018, the Full History, Ron Surz, April 10, 2019.
• Target Date Funds: Should We Be Satisfied with What We Have? Ron Surz, PSCA 2019 National Conference Presentation, May 1, 2019.
• Advances in Form and Function of Target Date Funds, Ron Surz, March 6, 2019.
• Target Date Fund Performance in 2018, Ron Surz, January 28, 2019.
• Target Date Model Portfolios: A Twist on the Target-Date Fund Approach, Ron Surz and Jack Towarnicky, Defined Contribution Insights, Fall 2018.
• Target Date Fund Benchmarks, Ron Surz, The Journal of Performance Measurement, Fall 2018.
• An Open Letter to the SEC and DOL (December 2018): Please Clarify Who the “Client” is in Target Date Funds, Ron Surz, December 27, 2018.
• U-shape Target Date Fund Glidepaths:The Continuing Evolution of Target Date Funds, Ron Surz, November 18, 2018.
• The Ideal Target Date Fund, Ron Surz, October 26, 2018. Presentations slides also available for downloading.
• Free eBook: The Remarkable Metamorphosis of Target Date Funds, Ron Surz, October 22, 2018.
• Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’ With Target Date Funds: 5 Reasons Why Target Date Funds Should Be Made Safer, Ron Surz, Investments & Wealth Institute (formerly IMCA), September/October 2018.
• Advisors Selecting Target Date Funds Crave Legal Protection, Ron Surz, August 3, 2018.
• Conflicting Interests in Target Date Funds, Ron Surz, June 11, 2018.
• 10 Important Lessons About Target Date Funds, Ron Surz, April 24, 2018.
• Finally, a Definitive Answer to the Target Date Fund Risk Question , Ron Surz, March 26, 2018.
• The Target Date Fund Market is All Oligopoly and Part Monopoly Hampering Innovation, Ron Surz, March 3, 2018.
• Now for Something Completely Different: A Target Date Fund That is Like No Other, Ron Surz, March 3, 2018.
• How Long Will Your 401(k) Savings Last After a Market Crash? Ron Surz, February 26, 2018.
• 401(k) Fiduciaries Are Breaching Their Duty of Care, Ron Surz, February 22, 2018.
• Combining Target Date Funds with Managed Accounts to Create Personalized Target Date Accounts, Ron Surz, The Spark Journal,. Vol. 27, No. 3, Third quarter 2017.
• Why Target Date Fund Glide Paths Should Land Safely, But Don’t, Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, February 13, 2018.
• How Much Could Your 401(k) Lose in the Next Market Crash? Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, February 8, 2018.
• $30 Trillion in Boomer Savings Needs Protection: The Next Market Meltdown Will Bring Lawsuits, Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, January 2, 2018.
• The Price of Prudence in Target Date Funds, Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, November 19, 2017.
• A Brief Guide for 401(k) Plan Participants, Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, November 10, 2017.
• Broken Models: Model Portfolios Need Repair, Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, August 18, 2017.
• V for Victory in Target Date Fund Glidepaths: The Crying Need for Change, Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, August 9, 2017.
• Beyond the Target Date, Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, June 26, 2017.
• Target Date Funds, "Fiduciary Perspectives: Save and Protect," Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, September 22, 2016.
• "Discovering Target Date Fund Prudence,", Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, September 22, 2016.
• Prudent Custom Target Date Funds Made Easy. Protect Yourself, Your Client and Your Beneficiaries, Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, July 29, 2015.
• Prudent Target Date Fund Decisions for Fiduciaries, Ron Surz, Benefits Magazine, July 2015, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP).
• Letter to the Department of Labor, Ron Surz, Target Date Solutions, April 28, 2015.
• Exclusive Interview: "Ron Surz Says Regulators Can’t Solve Target Date Fund Problems", Christopher Carosa, CTFA, Fiduciary News.com, June 17, 2014.
• Most Fiduciaries using Target Date Funds Are Inviting Lawsuits, Ron Surz, "Investor Watchdog," Paladin Registry, May 27, 2014.
• Video: How Much Money is Enough for a Comfortable Retirement? Ron DeLegge, host of ETFguide, talks about retirement savings readiness with Ron Surz, March 13, 2014.
• Video: Are Target Date Funds Good for Investors?, Ron DeLegge, ETFguide, February 27, 2014.
• The Human Face of Target Date Fund Glidepaths: A Rebuttal to Arnott’s “Glidepath Illusion …”, February 12, 2014.
• Target Date Funds: The Other 401(k) Scandal, May 2013.
• Fiduciary Guide to Selecting Target Date Funds, January 30, 2013.
• Save and Protect: Two Indisputable Retirement Savings Truths That Are Being Ignored, November 5, 2012.
• “To” versus “Through” Target Date Funds: A Distinction Without a Difference, October 28, 2012.
• The Three Stages of Individual Investing are Like a Journey into Space: Retirement Orbits are Unique and Personal, September 2012.
• Letter to the U.S. Department of Labor, May 29, 2012.
• Target Date Fund Safe Harbors Attract A Minefield of Imminent Litigation, March 12, 2012.
• Target Date Fund Scorecard for the 5 Years ending December 2011, February 14, 2012.
• Best and Worst Performing Target Date Funds in 2011, January 15, 2012.
• Fiduciary Alert: October 2011, October 4, 2011.
• The Risks and Rewards of Target Date Funds: Fiduciaries and Participants Are Taking Most of the Risks while Fund Providers Enjoy Most of the Rewards, June 2011.
• Presentation on De-Risking at fi360 Conference, May 4-6, 2011.
• What are the objectives of target date funds? What should they be? Who decides? Who cares?, September 2010.
• The Hemlock Fund, August 18, 2010.
• The Hidden Risk in Target Date Funds, Advisor Perspectives, April 27, 2010.
• Measuring the Risks and Rewards of Target Date Funds, Investments & Wealth Monitor, January/February 2010.
• Viewpoint: Target-Date Hearings — Of Skateboards and Hills, June 22, 2009.
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Target Date Funds, March 17, 2008.
• Evaluating Target Date Lifecycle Funds by Ron Surz and Craig Israelsen, published in The Journal of Performance Measurement, Winter 2007/2008.
• Letter to the Editor of The Wall Street Journal, February 29, 2008.