Company Stock Fills 401(k)s
USA Today (01/03/02) Vol. 36, No. 48 p.3B; Dugas, Christine
The Institute of Management and Administration's (IOMA) latest
study indicates that 27.9 percent of 401(k) plan stocks are invested in
employer stock, despite recent media attention on corporate scandals and
advice from financial planners and some employers to diversify. The
group attributes the trend to many employers' stock outperforming those
listed in Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 index, which fell 19.5 percent
compared with 327 companies' stock that only fell 12.1 percent.
Moreover, companies like United Airlines have employees who are
expecting a rebound, and who feel slighted if they are forced to dump
their company shares. IOMA also indicated that while some companies
have eliminated many of their trading restrictions, some have still
clung to age and tenure restrictions regarding the sale of matching
contributions. IOMA's study noted that 13 plans have 75 percent or more
of their assets in company stock, and an additional 54 plans have 50
percent or more of their assets in employer stock. Vanguard Group
Managing Director William McNabb stated, "It's vital to be diversified,"
and many financial experts agree that having over 5 percent or 10
percent of 401(k) assets in one stock is too risky. However, Hewitt
Associates discovered that 83 percent of 200 companies have made
diversification a top priority in retirement savings education for
employees.