While investments in real estate have long been common for defined benefit plans, more plan sponsors are turning to property markets to diversify their defined contribution (DC) portfolios. Large DC plans may have access to vehicles that invest directly in real estate or private real estate funds, but most DC plans do not. Therefore, this article focuses on real estate investment trusts (REITs^[1]) and considers 

From None to Too Much, How Much Diversification is Just Right?

This article discusses strategies 401(k) plan participants use to concentrate or diversify their assets, discussing one concentration strategy and three diversification strategies.

Investments can growth wealth two ways: by returning income to you and by growing in value. Expected return is the combination of income and growth you expect on an investment in a single year. Of course investments can also fluctuate in value, and some fluctuate more than others. Investment professionals call that fluctuation volatility. The wider the fluctuations, the higher the volatility.