14 Sept 2026
When's The Last Time You Logged Into Your 401(k) Account?
Bill and Andy Bush open with a deceptively simple question: when was the last time you actually logged into your 401(k)? From there, they walk listeners through a practical, no-math check-up of everything worth reviewing the next time you pull up the app — your balance, your contribution rate, whether you're leaving match money on the table, Roth versus pre-tax, how you're actually invested, your rate of return, beneficiaries, and old accounts you may have left behind. Along the way they tackle the traps that quietly derail savers: settling for an auto-enrollment default, a 30-year-old sitting in a target-date fund built for someone already retired, checking your balance so often that you sabotage your own returns, and forgetting that beneficiary designations don't follow you when a plan changes record keepers. The brothers close with the "$487,000 question" — is it enough? — and a run of C-words (clarity, context, confidence, conviction) that turn a quick login into a real sense of where you stand.
⏱ Episode Timeline & Key Topics
00:10 – Welcome & the One Question
Bill kicks off by asking Andy when he last logged into his 401(k). Andy's answer — last week, to check his year-to-date numbers and confirm his investments still fit — sets up the episode's theme.
01:00 – What This Episode Covers (No Math Required)
The brothers lay out the plan: a walk-through of what to look for when you log in. Their suggestion to listeners — pull out your phone or laptop and follow along in real time.
01:23 – Most Logins Are Now Mobile
More participants are checking balances on the app than ever. Fidelity reports a majority of logins now come from mobile, while Vanguard sits a bit lower — a reflection of how people manage money today.
01:46 – Start With Your Balance
The first and most obvious thing to check. It's the number most people look at first, and it anchors everything else in the review.
01:55 – Check Your Contribution Rate
A common trap: savers get excited, enroll when first eligible, then never revisit their elections. "Life happens," and the contribution rate they set years ago quietly becomes the rate they still have.
02:30 – Is Your Contribution Moving You Toward Your Goal?
Andy encourages listeners to connect the contribution to the destination. If you've paid off a car loan or freed up cash, consider directing some of it into the plan. Also worth knowing: how often your plan lets you change contributions, which varies from quarterly to every pay period.
03:25 – Rules of Thumb: 50/30/20 and 10–15%
The brothers revisit budgeting guidance — 50% needs, 30% wants, 20% savings — and narrow it to the widely cited 10% to 15% of income aimed at retirement, including any employer match.
03:58 – Why 15%? The Math of a 40-Year Runway
Andy explains the logic behind the T. Rowe Price 15% benchmark: contribute at that rate across a full working career and you reach 65 with real options. The habit of putting money in matters as much as how it's invested.
04:44 – Don't Settle for the Auto-Enrollment Default
Many plans auto-enroll new hires at 3%, 4%, or 5%. That's a starting point someone else chose for you, not a decision you made — and it's rarely enough on its own.
05:18 – Auto-Escalation: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Some plans let you automatically bump your contribution 1% a year. It works precisely because it happens in the background, nudging your savings rate up without requiring willpower each year.
05:38 – Don't Assume the Match Is the Finish Line
A classic match of 50% on the first 6% means a 6% deferral gets you a 3% employer contribution. Helpful, but the brothers are blunt: it's probably not enough to get you where you want to go.
06:36 – Roth vs. Pre-Tax
There's tax favorability on both sides. Younger savers in lower brackets often lean pre-tax to stretch each dollar, while the Roth choice hinges on which end of your life you'd rather take the tax benefit. Roth has been available in 401(k)s for about two decades and is now offered by the vast majority of plans — and SECURE 2.0 now requires certain high earners' catch-up contributions to be Roth.
08:25 – What Are You Actually Invested In?
Some participants set an allocation 10 or 15 years ago and never looked again. Whether that's a problem depends on your age and risk tolerance, because corrections happen — and a 10% drop feels very different on $50,000 than on $500,000.
09:22 – Don't Day-Trade Your 401(k)
A 401(k) is a long-term vehicle, and most menus are built on mutual funds that price once a day. The brothers cite a striking pattern: participants who log in most often tend to see worse returns than those who set it and forget it.
10:40 – Target-Date Funds and Fitting the Allocation to You
Target-date funds offer a single, age-appropriate option that rebalances over time. But allocations drift, and your mix has to fit you — not your brother or your coworker. Case in point: an audit that turned up a 30-year-old sitting in a Target 2020 fund.
11:51 – How Am I Doing? Rate of Return in Context
A year-to-date return only means something alongside your time horizon and what you're invested in. A financial plan is the North Star, and record-keeper tools can show whether saving more or working one more year meaningfully moves the needle.
14:06 – Life Changes, Beneficiaries & a Free Tip
Marriage, a new baby, a divorce, or a job change can all call for updates — especially beneficiaries. Bill's free tip: when a plan switches record keepers, beneficiary designations don't transfer, so go back in and re-name yours.
15:05 – Build a Review Habit
Set a recurring reminder — a birthday, or July 1 as the year's midpoint — to check your beneficiaries and elections, the same way you'd schedule a routine doctor's visit.
16:32 – Old 401(k)s: Consolidate, Watch Fees, or Roll to an IRA
Most plans allow roll-ins, and consolidating scattered accounts can simplify your life and reduce duplicated administrative fees. Alternatively, rolling old accounts into an IRA can open the door to guidance from a local advisor.
18:13 – The $487,000 Question: Is It Enough?
Seeing a big balance prompts the real question. The answer depends on your age, your runway, and your spending. The math of retirement income is the easy part; the psychology of shifting from saving to spending after 40 years is the hard part.
20:36 – Clarity, Context, Confidence — and the Rest of the C-Words
Andy ties it together: getting clear on where your 401(k) stands, in context with your other assets, builds the confidence to make changes. Bill and Andy stack on conviction, coach, and finally close.
22:16 – Recap & How to Reach the 401(k) Brothers
A quick checklist recap — balance, contributions, match, Roth versus pre-tax, investments, beneficiaries, old accounts — before Bill and Andy sign off. Brothers, but not twins.
✅ Key Takeaways Quick Reference
• Actually log in — most participants set things once and forget them; a periodic login is the single easiest way to catch what's drifted
• Your balance is the start, not the whole story — check it first, then work through contributions, match, allocation, and beneficiaries
• Don't accept the auto-enrollment default — a 3% to 5% starting rate is a choice someone else made for you, and it's rarely enough
• Aim for 10% to 15% of income, match included — contribute at that rate over a career and you reach retirement with options
• Turn on auto-escalation if you can — a 1%-per-year bump works because it happens in the background
• Match is a floor, not a finish line — 50% of the first 6% is a good start, but usually won't fund the retirement you want on its own
• Roth vs. pre-tax is personal — younger, lower-bracket savers often favor pre-tax; the right answer depends on when you'd rather take the tax benefit, and you can do both
• Make your allocation fit you — a 30-year-old has no business in a Target 2020 fund; match risk to your age and time horizon
• Don't over-manage — 401(k)s are long-term, mostly-mutual-fund vehicles; frequent tinkering tends to hurt returns
• Beneficiaries don't transfer when record keepers change — re-name them any time your plan changes providers, and after major life events
• Consolidate old accounts — rolling scattered 401(k)s together simplifies your life and can cut duplicated fees, or roll to an IRA for advisor guidance
• Clarity creates confidence — knowing where you stand, in context with everything else, is what lets you make good decisions and stick with them
📌 Contact the 401(k) Brothers
• Bill Bush: bbush@horizonfg.com
• Andy Bush: abush@horizonfg.com
📌 Closing Disclaimer
The views depicted in this material are for information purposes only and are not necessarily those of Cetera Advisors, LLC. They should not be considered specific advice or recommendations for any individual. Neither Cetera Advisors, LLC nor any of its representatives may give legal or tax advice. Pete Bush, Bill Bush, and Andy Bush are registered representatives offering securities and advisory services offered through Cetera Advisors, LLC. Member FINRA/SIPC, a broker-dealer and registered investment advisor. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity. 15015 Jamestown Boulevard, Suite 100, Baton Rouge, LA 70810.
Before deciding whether to retain assets in a 401(k) or roll over to an IRA, an investor should consider various factors including, but not limited to, investment options, fees and expenses, services, withdrawal penalties, protection from creditors and legal judgments, required minimum distributions and possession of employer stock. Please view the Investor Alerts section of the FINRA website for additional information.
