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Whatever your company’s employee-contribution plan has in place today does concern your future. And, with the responsibility of your financial future resting on your shoulders, the earlier you seek plan improvements can often make a significant difference in your final retirement picture.

Westcore Funds realizes the importance in lobbying for plan improvements and offers the following tips as a resource towards your effort in achieving a comfortable retirement:

Know As Much As Possible—before approaching your plan administrator, gather and read all the information made available about your current plan. If you have any questions, talk to your administrator so that you are clear about potentially objectionable areas. In addition, compare your company’s plan to some others to ensure that your areas of concern are reasonable. You can contact a financial advisor in your area or ask friends and family about their company’s employee-contribution benefits.

Put It In Writing—once you have identified your concerns, take the time to put each issue down in a letter to your benefits officer. Ask for additional clarification to be provided if your concerns are based on false information. And, provide suggestions for improvements to the areas you have outlined. You can always recommend that your company hire a benefits consultant to compare the costs and options of your 401(k) plan with others on the market.

Seek Allies In Your Efforts—most likely if there are problems with your company’s employee-contribution plan, others will be concerned too. See if a manager would be interested in requesting some changes, or ask a group of co-workers to write letters too. You can also request that your plan administrator conduct an employee survey or focus groups to ask all employees for their input on the current plan and proposed changes.

Share What You Know—along with your letter, pass on information you uncovered regarding other plans. If there are some specific mutual funds you would like to see added to your 401(k) plan, call and request a prospectus to be forward to your plan administrator. Also share any facts you have uncovered, such as the fact that a plan’s administrative costs are tax deductible for the corporation, but not for plan participants.

Don’t Give Up—change usually doesn’t occur without effort. If you meet some initial resistance, be persistent. As the fiduciary of your 401(k) account, your employer should be interested in making the company plan the best vehicle possible for their employees.

The steps you take today can make a huge difference in how golden your retirement years will be!

For more information on this subject contact Kristine Cook at (303) 312-5003, or e-mail kcook@westcore.com.

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Employee-contribution plans have quickly become the retirement benefit of choice for many American corporations, but have you checked if your plan is working most effectively for you? The following five steps will provide you with some suggestions to measure the effectiveness of your current 401(k) strategy or assist you in your efforts to create one.

1. Start Your Plan. The first step in amassing your retirement nest egg is to get started. Finding reasons to postpone your savings come easily, yet the longer you contribute towards your retirement equals the more time your assets have to grow. Plus, many employers provide some level of matching for every dollar you contribute to your plan. By not participating in your 401(k) plan, you are giving up the money your company is willing to contribute towards your future golden years.

2.  Understand Your Options. Your next responsibility is to read all the information your company provides regarding how your 401(k) operates and the investment choices available to you. Many times your plan administrator will hold educational seminars or be available to sit down with you on an individual basis to answer your questions.

3. Select Your Investments. After you learn about the options available to you, it is time to apply these investment vehicles to your specific retirement planning needs. Factoring in the number of years until you want to retire and your tolerance for risk, you should be able to find investment options that can help you reach your goals.

4.  Take a Few Risks. No one wants to lose the money that they have invested in their 401(k) plan, but some risk may be required for your portfolio. The good news is that retirement planning is a long-term investment process and you should be able to weather some market volatility and still meet your goals.

5. Monitor Your Progress. Most employers send quarterly account statements for you to examine the effectiveness of your investment choices. Carefully review how your investments are doing, but don’t get nervous if your account has occasional fluctuations. If a fund or investment consistently disappoints you quarter after quarter, then consider a possible change in your portfolio.

By actively participating in your employee-contribution plan, you are acknowledging the responsibility over your finances in your future years. Those individuals who don’t take proactive measure are not less responsible, they just end up being less prepared.

For more information on this subject contact Kristine Cook at (303) 312-5003, or e-mail kcook@westcore.com.

? January 1999, Westcore Funds, all rights reserved.
For more information about Westcore Funds, or to obtain a prospectus, which contains more complete information regarding potential risks and applicable fees and expenses, call 1-800-392-CORE (2673). Please read it carefully before investing. Westcore Funds are distributed by ALPS Mutual Funds Services, Inc., member NASD.

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As the market rises and falls, so do the hopes of many investors participating in equity and bond investments. While experiencing a fluctuation of emotions during periods of questionable market stability may be considered reasonable to many investors, Christianna Wood, Fund Manager for Westcore Mid-Cap Value Fund, explains that these emotions can be detrimental to the investor if acted upon.

"Often times the point of maximum financial opportunity in the market is when prices have dropped significantly and the investor feels despondent," says Wood. "This is often difficult for investors to see since many of their holdings will have just suffered a decline." For investors to demonstrate confidence in the market and continue to hold or purchase additional investments during a period where they are probably feeling depressed can be extremely difficult.

Christianna Wood has created a fun and informative chart demonstrating how the emotions of individual investors follow the market cycles. If you are interested in receiving a free copy of this chart for publication or interviewing Christianna Wood on this topic, please contact Kristine Cook at (303) 312-5003, or e-mail kcook@westcore.com.