401K Retirement A Pipe Dream for Millions

The TV show, 60 Minutes, profiled a segment on 401k retirements and how they are not working for millions of workers across the country.  In typical 60 minutes fashion, the reporter talked to people on both sides of the issue: employees themselves and one of the leading Washington lobbyists for the mutual fund industry, which receives huge benefits from the 401k plan.

The show pointed out that 401k plans have several fees that are not even disclosed on the prospectus. Some are listed in there but others are not.  The mutual fund industry seems to be just fine with this lack of transparency.  Any attempt at complete transparency, such as a government bill forcing them to do so, is met with powerful backlash from the mutual fund industry’s lobbyists and such a bill never reaches the legislation floor.

401k Retirement Shenanigans?

This particular show made me hopping mad, mad, mad!  This is because one of the interviewees was a 54 year old single woman who worked as an executive assistant for 30 years and has little to show for it.  

Her 401k has lost more than half its former value a time when she is looking for employment and not too far from retirement herself.  She started crying during the interview as she reflected on the fact that her 401k retirement is looking more like a pipe dream.

Another man, who is already past retirement age, said he was down $140,000 at a time when he needs the money the most.  He said there is no way he can retire now and will have to work several more years at least.

The real sad part is that this story is repeated over and over among millions of people all over the country.  So the 60 minutes reporter asked the Washington lobbyist why the mutual fund industry will not take steps for transparency and why isn’t the 401k plan working? 

The lobbyist just stated that “it’s not the fault of the 401k but the fault of the entire financial system” and also went on to say that employees should be responsible for their own decisions.

This is most likely as close to the truth as you’re going to hear from a lobbyist.

It was also revealed on the show that 401k plans were never meant to be a retirement plan from their beginnings in the late 1970s.  401k accounts were only meant to be supplemental accounts to supplement Social Security and defined benefit pension plans, which by 1985, 90% of employers were using as compared to less than 10% today.

But employers found these 401k accounts to be much cheaper than having to fund and payout pension plans so they started to scrap pensions in masse.  The mutual fund industry had no complaints as this led the nation’s workforce directly into their products!  

They jumped on the bandwagon by advertising their products as retirement vehicles, when in truth, they are not.  But the 401k product going mainstream was such a boon to the mutual fund industry that they don’t want to see any changes to their profit margins, which are extraordinary.  This is why their lobbyists fight any attempt at true transparency.

So once again, the little guy is being destroyed by those with all the financial might and power, which they achieved at the little guy’s expense.  

I don’t know about you but this makes me very angry and you should be too if you work for a living and have contributed to a 401k retirement plan.  This is like being herded into a hen house guarded by the same wolves who created these programs. 

They created these just for YOU…the working stiff…and “stiff” is just the word that describes millions of employees who have been stiffed into these so-called “retirement” accounts.

The 401K Plan was NOT Designed for Your Retirement

There is a way out, but this route is only for those with the courage to step outside their comfort zone and take matters into their own hands.  You can start with increasing your financial education and realize what the financial system is really about.  It was not built so that you can “retire” in the traditional sense of the word.  The powers that be have unleashed a financial attack on the money supply and your so-called “retirement”.

The Rothchilds, one of the richest families in the entire world, issued this communique in 1838:

“The few who understand the system, will either be so interested in its profits, or so dependent on its favors that there will be no opposition from that class, while on the other hand, the great body of people, mentally incapable of comprehending the tremendous advantages…will bear its burden without complaint, and perhaps without suspecting that the system is inimical to their best interests” (Rothschild Brothers of London, 1838).

What the Rothchilds are basically saying, in the above quote, is that the vast majority are screwed!

Another thing you can do is start your own online business.  There are many online opportunities that could afford you the retirement you so deserve. You will need some training with this so I can recommend one of the best online affiliate marketing training programs to help you get started.

You work hard anyway, so why not refocus those efforts, so that you eventually won’t have to worry about what’s left over in your 401K, or other government shenanigans.  

Another option is to start educating yourself about Bitcoin, blockchain technology, and other crypto assets.  This industry is in its infancy and a proper understanding of it, as well as the investment opportunities therein, could allow you to truly retire unlike a 401K ever could. 

Open a free US Bitcoin account at Binance.US here: https://mikejanthony.com/binance

…or at Coinbase at https://mikejanthony.com/coinbase