Magnifying glass over a quarter
Employers
3 min read•

How your Guideline 401(k) is invested

Icon of a simple user silhouette
Guideline Team

Saving for retirement is a long-term play and, when done well, you don’t need to think about it often. Every time you make a contribution to your 401(k), that money is used to buy and hold investments that could grow over time, helping you reach your long-term retirement savings goals.1

In order to successfully save for retirement, we believe you should buy and hold the right investments — ones that offer you a low-cost entry into the market while helping you diversify your savings globally.2

Sounds hard, doesn’t it? With Guideline, it doesn’t have to be.

Building your 401(k) portfolio should be easy and affordable

Imagine this: You start a new job, have access to an employer sponsored 401(k), and can finally start saving for retirement straight out of your paycheck. It’s a big deal because 1 in 5 Americans 50+ have $0 saved for retirement.

Once you sign up for your 401(k), you may find yourself in a menu of investment products like Mutual Funds and/or ETFs. You may need to make a decision on the spot — even though the list of stock, bond, and other fund names and symbols might mean nothing to you.

It can be an all-too-common experience with 401(k) providers. And it can get worse when you don’t have a guide to help you.

Guideline believes that retirement is important, and you should never feel like you're about to make a mistake that will haunt you 20 or 30 years from now.

Unlike some traditional 401(k) providers, we don't leave you to figure out your own investment strategy, which can lead to costly mistakes, high fees, and mediocre returns. We believe in a proactive, expert-driven approach that prioritizes your financial well-being.

The Guideline difference: Expert-built portfolios

We help take the guesswork out of retirement investing. Instead of having you skim a list of options and pick one to be invested in for years or decades to come, we take a different approach.

Our portfolios are built by investment experts, and focus on:

  • Diversification: We help you invest broadly across US and international markets, stocks, and bonds. This could protect your retirement savings from downturns in any single market segment or region. In other words: instead of trying to find the needle, we help you buy the whole haystack.2

  • Low-fee investments: Fees can significantly chip away at your earnings — especially when you’re investing over decades. We aim to maximize your savings by offering low-cost mutual funds. Our investment fees are 6x lower3 than the industry average, helping you make the most of every dollar you save so you can reach your retirement goals faster.

  • Personalized approach: How and what you invest in can change depending on your time horizon and risk tolerance. Generally, investors with a longer time horizon and risk tolerance can be more aggressive because they have more time to catch up after market downturns. On the other hand, investors aiming to retire in the next few years might take a more conservative approach. We recognize your unique needs and tailor your personalized portfolio recommendation to your life stage, retirement time frame, and risk tolerance. Whether you're retiring tomorrow or in 30 years, we'll help you reach your retirement objectives.

Looking for more control over your investments? Guideline also allows you to build your own portfolios from our full lineup of low-cost funds. This can be a great option if you do educated research, have strong opinions or preferences about which investments will perform well, or if you have specific investment goals — like exclusively investing in ESG funds.4

Ultimately, we believe it's about guided choice — whether you pick one of our six pre-built portfolios or craft your own. If you decide to use a Guideline-built portfolio, we'll craft a mix of investments based on the information you provide. That will help you maximize your retirement savings while minimize investment risk — while we aim to keep your investment fees low.1

Saving for retirement shouldn’t be stressful

Choosing the right investment mix can get very complicated very quickly — understanding diversification, fund selection, and market trends can be a lot easier when you're guided by someone with expertise in the field. That's why our team of investment experts constantly track market trends and adjust our portfolios to meet your objectives and investment needs, while aiming to keep fund expense ratios and fees as low as possible for your team.

As ERISA 3(38) Fiduciaries, it’s our duty to ensure that every investment decision is made in the best interest of your plan and plan participants like you.

We're committed to helping you make the most of your money so you can look forward to a secure and comfortable retirement.

Ready to take control of your retirement savings? Explore how Guideline's personalized approach and low fees can help you reach your financial goals.

Give your employees a roadmap to retirement

With Guideline, you can provide an impactful work benefit while minimizing paper work and fees

Get started

Related articles

Search retirement topics

  • 1
    This information is for illustrative purposes only, and is not intended to be construed as investment or tax advice or as an assurance or guarantee of future performance. Investing involves risk, and investments may lose value. Investment advisory services for Guideline’s 401(k) product (when 3(38) fiduciary services are appointed) are offered by Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Expense ratios for custom portfolios will vary. For more information regarding these fees, see the ADV 2A Brochure and Form CRS.These expense ratios are subject to change by and paid to the fund(s). View full fund lineup.
  • 2
    Diversification does not ensure a profit or guarantee against loss.
  • 3
    Information is illustrative. Not investment/tax advice. Consult a qualified tax/financial advisor. Avg. investment expense of plan assets for 401(k) plans w/ 25 participants and $250,000 in assets is 1.26% of assets, per 25th Edition of the 401k Averages Book, w/ data updated through September 30, 2024 (inclusive of investment management fees, fund expense ratios, 12b-1 fees, sub-transfer agent fees, contract charges, wrap and advisor fees or any other asset based charges). Investment advisory services for Guideline’s 401(k) product (when 3(38) fiduciary services are appointed) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Guideline’s managed portfolios have blended expense ratios ranging from .058% to .061% of assets under management. When combined with an assumed account fee of .15% charged by Guideline Investments, LLC, estimated total AUM fees for one of the managed portfolios can be under .21%. Alternative account fee pricing available, ranging from .15% to .35%. See Form ADV 2A Brochure for fee info. Expense ratios subject to change by and paid to the fund(s). View full fund lineup.
  • 4
    ESG funds are subject to ESG investment risk, which is the chance that the stocks or bonds screened by the index provider or advisor, as applicable, for ESG criteria generally will underperform the market as a whole or, in the aggregate, will trail returns of other funds screened for ESG criteria. The evaluation of companies for ESG screening or integration is dependent on the timely and accurate reporting of ESG data by the companies. Successful application of the screens will depend on an advisor's proper identification and analysis of ESG data. The advisor may not be successful in assessing and identifying companies that have or will have a positive impact or support a given position. In some circumstances, companies could ultimately have a negative or no impact or support of a given position.
  • †
    This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be taken as tax advice. Please consult a tax professional to determine what types of tax credits or deductions your company is eligible to claim.

Guideline.com is owned and operated by Guideline, Inc. This website contains content from Guideline, Inc. and its affiliates, each a separate entity with different regulatory marketing requirements and standards. References to "our" or "we" on this website refer solely to Guideline RK, LLC unless otherwise specifically stated.

The information in this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be an offer, recommendation, investment advice, legal or tax advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any security. By using this website, you agree to Guideline, Inc.’s Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions of Use. Neither Guideline, Inc. nor its subsidiaries, are responsible for information provided by third parties. Information included herein from third parties is believed to be reliable however Guideline, Inc. does not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of that information.

Guideline, Inc. is a technology company that provides an integrated platform to companies who seek to work with 1) Guideline RK, LLC ("Guideline") and/or 2) Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Adviser ("RIA"), both of which are wholly owned by Guideline Holdings, LLC. Guideline Holdings, LLC is wholly owned by Guideline, Inc. Neither Guideline, Inc. nor Guideline Holdings, LLC or Guideline RK, LLC is involved in securities activities and is not registered with the SEC or FINRA. Neither Guideline, Inc., nor any of its affiliates, is a bank.

Investment advisory services for Guideline’s 401(k) (when 3(38) fiduciary services are selected) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. For more information regarding fees and services, see Guideline Investments, LLC’s ADV 2A Brochure and Form CRS. References throughout this website to investment advisory services including but not limited to: investments offered, portfolios, managed portfolios, investment philosophy, assets under management (AUM), annual account fees expressed as a percentage of AUM, suitability questionnaire, 3(38) investment advisory management fiduciary services, robo-advisory services, and investment advice, unless otherwise specifically stated, are services provided by Guideline Investments, LLC. Investing involves risk and may lose money, including loss of principal. Investing is not guaranteed and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. The investment options offered by Guideline Investments, LLC are not FDIC insured.

Recordkeeping services for Guideline’s 401(k) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Guideline RK, LLC. 3(16) plan administration services are also offered by Guideline RK, LLC and only made available to clients who utilize an eligible payroll provider. For more information on Guideline’s pricing, see here. Guideline uses a third-party to provide custodial services. Custodial fees are paid by Guideline.

Any graphs, charts, and other visual aids (collectively referred to as "image(s)") are provided for information purposes only. None of these images can of themselves be used to make investment decisions. No representation is made that these will assist any person in making investment decisions and no image can capture all factors and variables required in making such decisions.

© 2025 Guideline, Inc. All rights reserved

Guideline logo mark displayed in white
Guideline logo displayed in white
  • Guideline's Facebook profile.
  • Guideline's Instagram profile.
  • Guideline's Linkedin profile.
  • Guideline's X profile.
  • App Store
  • Google Play