What do you think about these "target date" ETFs?

josephconlin answered one year ago …

Here's the link again (the problem above was that the last } was not part of the linked text. If you add it to the URL, it works.)

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/etf-managers-eye-retirement-plan-spa ce/story.aspx?guid={B090A14E-6652-4A3F-A7C1-F72FBC72308E}

It appears that these ETFs are designed for the same thing as target date mutual funds for 401(k) investors - I want to retire in 2045, so I buy the 2045 targeted fund or ETF, and they manage the changing asset allocation over time for you.

I feel the same way about these as I do about the mutual funds - they are okay for those who don't want to do any research or work on their own to pick what to invest in, but watch out for the expenses associated with them.

If you read TickerHound, you're probably going to find ways to invest that could at least match what these funds offer without paying the expenses.