A 2014 Vanguard report found that the average 401(k) account registered with Vanguard had $101,650, an 80 percent increase in savings since the market fallout of 2008. But does that number reflect reality? Ignoring outliers than skew the average upwards, the median 401(k) is only $31,396. There are also huge differences when accounting for different age groups and salary ranges. This Motley Fool article argues that all of these variations need to be taken into account to determine how one’s retirement plan compares.
Energy was by far the worst performing sector of the S&P 500 in 2014, and ETF Trends think that should make energy ETFs a good place to make contrarian bets in 2015. The decline in oil prices has left oil stocks favorably repriced, and many believe that they could rebound before the end of the year. Some ETFs have already showed signs of life, such as the PowerShares Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production Portfolio (NYSEArca: PXE) which is up 11 percent since Dec. 15.
Son Accused of Killing Hedge Fund President Dad
Thomas Gilbert Sr., the 70-year-old president of Wainscott Capital Partners, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment with a bullet wound to the head. Police believe Gilbert’s son, 30-year-old Thomas Gilbert Jr., and say there is enough evidence to make a strong case against him. The Wainscott hedge fund, which focuses on biotechnology and health-care investments, reported assets of $7.3 million and returns of 10.6 percent through November, and had three-year annualized returns of 22.5 percent, according to Bloomberg. The elder Gilbert also co-founded Syzygy Therapeutics, a biotech private-equity firm, and Knowledge Delivery Systems, a provider of online teacher education.