US SIGNAL COMPANY, LLC 401(K) SAVINGS AND RETIREMENT PLAN Investment Options

Basic steps for US SIGNAL COMPANY, LLC 401(K) SAVINGS AND RETIREMENT PLAN investments

  1. Understand Your Goals and Risk Tolerance: Consider your retirement goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance when choosing investments. Are you saving for retirement, or do you have other financial goals in mind? How comfortable are you with market fluctuations?
  2. Diversification: Diversification is key to managing risk in your investment portfolio. Spread your investments across different asset classes (e.g., stocks, bonds, cash equivalents) and sectors to reduce the impact of market volatility.
  3. Asset Allocation: Determine the appropriate mix of assets for your investment portfolio based on your goals and risk tolerance. This may involve allocating a percentage of your portfolio to stocks, bonds, and cash equivalents.
  4. Review Investment Options: Evaluate the investment options available within US SIGNAL COMPANY, LLC 401(K) SAVINGS AND RETIREMENT PLAN (see below for more detailed investment options). Look for funds with low fees, consistent performance, and a track record of meeting their investment objectives.
  5. Consider Target-Date Funds: Target-date funds are a popular option for retirement savings because they automatically adjust the asset allocation over time based on your expected retirement date. These funds can be a convenient option for investors who prefer a hands-off approach to investing.
  6. Monitor and Rebalance: Periodically review your investment portfolio and make adjustments as needed. Rebalance your portfolio to maintain your desired asset allocation and ensure it remains aligned with your goals and risk tolerance.
  7. Seek Professional Advice: If you’re unsure about which investments to choose or how to allocate your assets, consider seeking advice from a financial advisor. They can help you develop an investment strategy tailored to your individual needs and circumstances.

By following these steps, you can set up a 401(k) plan and choose investments that align with your long-term financial goals and objectives. Remember that investing involves risk, and it’s important to carefully consider your options and seek professional advice if needed.

Investment Options

US SIGNAL COMPANY, LLC 401(K) SAVINGS AND RETIREMENT PLAN provides a list of funds (mutual funds and collective investment trusts — custom-made mutual funds for the plan):

Total Available Funds: 23
Asset Class Ticker Description
US EQUITY
Mid-Cap Growth PPQPX Principal MidCap Growth III R5
SMALL BLEND PSSPX Principal SmallCap S&P 600 Index R5
LARGE GROWTH PPUPX Principal Large Cap Growth I R5
Small Growth PPNPX Principal SmallCap Growth I R5
LARGE BLEND PLFPX Principal Large Cap S&P 500 Index R5
LARGE VALUE PPSRX Principal Large Cap Value III R5
MID-CAP VALUE PABVX Principal MidCap Value I R5
MID-CAP BLEND PMFPX Principal MidCap S&P 400 Index R5
SMALL VALUE PLARX Principal SmallCap Value II R5
LARGE GROWTH RGAEX American Funds Growth Fund of Amer R4
LARGE BLEND PPZPX Principal Large Cap Blend II R5
FIXED INCOME
Intermediate-Term Bond PBMPX Principal Bond & Mtg Securities R5
REAL ESTATE
REAL ESTATE PREPX Principal Real Estate Securities R5
INTERNATIONAL EQUITY
Foreign Large Blend PTPPX Principal International I R5
Foreign Large Blend REREX American Funds EuroPacific Gr R4
Others
Utilities FRUSX Franklin Utilities C
Target Date 2000-2010 PTAPX Principal LifeTime 2010 R5
Target Date 2026-2030 PTCPX Principal LifeTime 2030 R5
Retirement Income PLSPX Principal LifeTime Strategic Inc R5
Target Date 2046-2050 PTEFX Principal LifeTime 2050 R5
Target Date 2016-2020 PTBPX Principal LifeTime 2020 R5
Target Date 2036-2040 PTDPX Principal LifeTime 2040 R5
Emerging Market
DIVERSIFIED EMERGING MKTS PEPSX Principal Intl Emerging Markets R5

How to invest

Key principles in retirement investing:

  • Proper asset allocation among stocks and bonds, the two major assets. Proper assess your risk tolerance level based on your age, financial situation, personal emotional level to tolerate up and down, and retirement expectation.
  • Invest in (ultra) low cost index funds if possible. Don’t get caught up with flashy funds.
  • Invest for a long term: financial markets are up and down and investment values are subject to fluctuation. However, viewed as business investments, you can be assured that diversified funds (stocks and bonds) have solid business fundamental that eventually will deliver inflation beating returns for stocks.

See Four-Step Guide for 401(k) Retirement Investing.

Basic asset allocation templates

The following asset allocation templates are based on popular lazy portfolios. These are core or major asset class-based portfolios using ultra-low-cost index funds for each asset class. Once you have decided on your proper risk asset (stocks) allocation, you can utilize these lazy portfolio templates to scale the allocations to your risk allocation level. See Asset Allocation Portfolio Templates for a guide:

The return data shown below all have the same latest date: 04/21/2025.
Name YTD Return 1Yr AR 3Yr AR 5Yr AR 10Yr AR 15Yr AR 20Yr AR Inception
Four Core Asset Portfolio -4.43% 4.42% 3.00% 7.23% 5.57% 6.59% 6.48% 6.19%
Five Core Asset Portfolio -4.69% 4.40% 2.88% 7.08% 5.48% 6.48% 6.56% 6.38%
Three Core Asset Portfolio -4.96% 4.07% 3.73% 7.66% 5.91% 6.81% 6.57% 6.10%
Two Core Asset Portfolio -7.64% 3.48% 4.00% 8.13% 6.90% 8.00% 7.24% 6.56%
Yale Endowment Template -4.18% 5.24% 1.68% 6.98% 5.88% 7.47% 7.28% 7.45%
S&P 500 Index -11.99% 4.20% 6.98% 15.22% 11.29% 12.16% 9.75% 7.90%

See how your investments are doing


Enter the funds you have chosen from this plan along with their weights, and see how such a portfolio has performed.



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