Vanguard ETF: | 7.4%* | ||
Diversified Core: | 8.1%* | ||
Six Core Asset ETFs: | 7.3%* |
Articles on GMGEX
- Employees in Sprint Nextel Dial up An Average 401K Retirement Plan
03/22/2011
Sprint Nextel Corporation offers wireless and wireline communications products and services to consumers, businesses, and government users in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sprint Nextel was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. Recently, AT&T (T) announced its plan to acquire T-Mobile USA, putting enormous pressure to Sprint Nextel, ranked only as a distant the third largest mobile phone service provider in the U.S.
In this article, we review Sprint Nextel 401K Plan. We will discuss how participants in the plan can achieve reasonable investment results using asset allocation strategies. We will also discuss how those portfolios are positioned in today’s market environment.
Sprint Nextel 401K Plan's 401K plan consists of 29 funds. These funds enable participants to gain exposure to 4 major assets: US Equity, Foreign Equity, Emerging Market Equity, Fixed Income. Four Core Asset ETF (EM) Benchmark's 401K plan consists of 4 funds. These funds enable participants to gain exposure to 4 major assets: US Equity, Foreign Equity, Emerging Market Equity, Fixed Income.
The following table lists its fund choices:
Asset Class Ticker Name LARGE VALUE TWEIX American Century Equity Income Inv SMALL VALUE DFSVX DFA US Small Cap Value I Mid-Cap Growth HAMGX Harbor Mid Cap Growth Instl High Yield Bond PHIYX PIMCO High Yield Instl WORLD BOND PFUIX PIMCO Foreign Bond WORLD STOCK GMGEX GMO Global Equity Allocation III SMALL BLEND IWM iShares Russell 2000 Index Foreign Large Blend EFA iShares MSCI EAFE Index LARGE BLEND SPY SPDR S&P 500 MID-CAP BLEND MDY SPDR S&P MidCap 400 Multisector Bond SMARX Brandes Separately Managed Acct Res Tr Multisector Bond SMARX Brandes Separately Managed Acct Res Tr Intermediate-Term Bond AGG iShares Barclays Aggregate Bond ROOT CASH CASH DIVERSIFIED EMERGING MKTS EEM iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Foreign Large Blend VGTSX Vanguard Total Intl Stock Index Inv LARGE GROWTH VWUSX Vanguard US Growth Inv LARGE VALUE VIVAX Vanguard Value Index Inv Target Date Funds Northern Trust Corp The list of minor asset classes covered by Sprint Nextel 401K Plan The list of minor asset classes covered by Four Core Asset ETF (EM) Benchmark Diversified Emerging Mkts: EEM, GMM, PXH, DEM, SCHE
Equity: VTI, VT
Foreign Large Blend: EFA, VEU, GWL, PFA
High Yield Bond: HYG, JNK, PHB
Intermediate-term Bond: AGG, CIU, BIV, BND
Large Blend: IVV, IYY, IWV, VTI, VV, SPY, DLN, RSP, SCHX
Large Growth: IVW, IWZ, JKE, VUG, ELG, QQQQ, RPG, SCHG
Large Value: IVE, IWW, JKF, VTV, ELV, PWV, RPV, SCHV
Mid-cap Blend: IJH, IWR, JKG, VO, MDY, EMM, PJG, DON, EZM, MVV
Mid-cap Growth: IJK, IWP, VOT, EMG, PWJ, RFG, UKW
Multisector Bond: AGG, GBF, BND, LAG
Small Blend: IJR, IWM, JKJ, VB, DSC, PJM, DES, SAA, UWM, SCHA
Small Value: IJS, IWN, JKL, VBR, DSV, PWY, RZV, UVT
World Bond: IGOV, BWX, WIP
World Stock: IOO, VTDiversified Emerging Mkts: EEM, GMM, PXH, DEM, SCHE
Foreign Large Blend: EFA, VEU, GWL, PFA
Intermediate-term Bond: AGG, CIU, BIV, BND
Large Blend: IVV, IYY, IWV, VTI, VV, SPY, DLN, RSP, SCHXAsset Class Sprint Nextel 401K Plan Four Core Asset ETF (EM) Benchmark Fixed Income 5 1 Sector Fund 0 0 Foreign Equity 3 1 Emerging Market Equity 1 1 US Equity 19 1 Other 1 0 Total 29 4 As of Mar 21, 2011, Sprint Nextel 401K Plan investment choice is rated as average and Four Core Asset ETF (EM) Benchmark investment choice is rated as below average based on MyPlanIQ Plan Rating methodology that was designed to measure how effective a plan's available investment funds are . It has the following detailed ratings:
Attribute Sprint Nextel 401K Plan Four Core Asset ETF (EM) Benchmark Diversification above average (83%) poor (8%) Fund Quality below average (15%) poor (8%) Portfolio Building average (59%) below average (20%) Overall Rating average (53%) below average (13%) The chart and table below show the historical performance of moderate model portfolios employing strategic and tactical asset allocation strategies (SAA and TAA , both provided by MyPlanIQ). For comparison purpose, we also include the moderate model portfolios of a typical 4 asset SIB (Simpler Is Better) plan . This SIB plan has the following candidate index funds and their ETFs equivalent:
US Equity: SPY or VTI
Foreign Equity: EFA or VEU
Emerging Market Equity: EEM or VWO
Fixed Income: AGG or BND
Performance chart (as of Mar 21, 2011)Performance table (as of Mar 21, 2011)
Portfolio Name 1Yr AR 1Yr Sharpe 3Yr AR 3Yr Sharpe 5Yr AR 5Yr Sharpe Sprint Nextel 401K Plan Tactical Asset Allocation Moderate 4% 19% 10% 79% 11% 70% Sprint Nextel 401K Plan Strategic Asset Allocation Moderate 11% 92% 4% 17% 5% 24% Four Core Asset ETF (EM) Benchmark Tactical Asset Allocation Moderate -0% -16% 6% 46% 8% 51% Four Core Asset ETF (EM) Benchmark Strategic Asset Allocation Moderate 11% 66% 4% 11% 5% 18% Currently Commodities, Real Estate and US Equity are doing well. Only US Equity is available to Sprint Nextel 401K Plan participants.
To summarize, Sprint Nextel offers its employees average rated fund choices. It has strong fixed income funds or portfolios. Some low cost funds such as DFA index fund or S&P index funds are good portfolio building blocks. Actively managed funds such as American Century Equity Income (TWEIX) or GMO Global Equity Allocation (GMGEX) have been outstanding. The plan can extend its diversification by offering further funds in major asset classes such as REITs as well as some high quality actively managed equity funds.
Disclosure:MyPlanIQ does not have any business relationship with the company or companies mentioned in this article. It does not set up their retirement plans. The performance data of portfolios mentioned above are obtained through historical simulation and are hypothetical.
Symbols:S,T,SPY,VTI,EFA,VEU,EEM,VWO,AGG,BND,VT,HYG,JNK,PHB,CIU,BIV,GWL,PFA,IVE,IWW,JKF,VTV,ELV,PWV,RPV,SCHV,IGOV,BWX,WIP,IVV,IYY,IWV,VV,DLN,RSP,SCHX,IOO,IVW,IWZ,JKE,VUG,ELG,QQQQ,RPG,SCHG,IJH,IWR,JKG,VO,MDY,EMM,PJG,DON,EZM,MVV,IJS,IWN,JKL,VBR,DSV,PWY,RZV,UVT,IJR,IWM,JKJ,VB,DSC,PJM,DES,SAA,UWM,SCHA,GMM,PXH,DEM,SCHE,GBF,LAG,IJK,IWP,VOT,EMG,PWJ,RFG,UKW,TWEIX,DFSVX,HAMGX,PHIYX,PFUIX,GMGEX,