DELL 401k Plan PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

The DELL plan is still a lifeboat portfolio but this year the Balanced portfolio only has 63.1% of the plan in the stable value fund SVF.hpx in the scan. The employee portfolio has 10% invested in company stock which has a negative 5yr APR = -19.37%. In the 2009 SEC 11-k report the the company placed 20% cap on the amount an employee could invest in the stock which I think is prudent but not as prudent as a 10% cap. A small plan that has improved year over year but still needs work in my opinion.

ECOLAB 401k (SP) Plan 12-31-2009

The plan this year is about the same as last year with a small increase in company stock ECL and the Balanced portfolio invested 2.6% in the stock. The employee porfolio has 49.6% of their money in company stock which bounced back in 2009 and still remains volatile. The largest holding in the Balanced portfolio is the stable value fund FIMP2 in the scan. The SSgA Target Date funds still do not have 5yr data and they are represented in the scan this year by the US Government Lifecycle funds.

State of Arizona 457 Plan PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

This plan has several good funds and the PIMCO total return fund PTTRX in the scan is the largest holding in the Balanced portfolio and VBTIX is the second largest. The target date funds in the plan (NWRSX etc.) do not have 5yr data yet and are not in the scan. The plan documents I found had no employee asset allocation data and a Uniform portfolio performance is provided in the scan. All in all a good plan that might want to consider adding a commodity fund.

CONSOL Energy 401k Plan PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

This plan continues to be helped by company stock CNX and the Balanced portfolio has 4.4% invested in the stock up from 4% last year. The employee portfolio has 18.7% of their portfolio in the stock and that helped their return a little and increased their volatility risk a lot. All in all a good plan with 8 investment options in the Balanced portfolio.

Boston Scientific 401k (RSP) PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

I did not expect this company to survive another year but they did and had a positive return in 2009 after 4 years of double digit loses. The Balanced portfolio invested in 10 options vs. only 2 last year. The 401k plan options are very good but the employee portfolio still has 26.0% of their retirement money in company stock BSX which is down 26% year-to-date. Amazing.

Cameron International 401k Plan PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

This plan was helped by company stock CAM again this year. The Balanced portflio invested 6.7% of the plan in the stock and the employee portolio invested 30.4% in the stock. The stable value fund SVF.hpx in the scan was down to only 42.7% of the Balanced portolio. The 3D scan image shows most of the plan investment options are now in the Balanced portfloio and things are looking up.

KIMCO Realty 401k Plan PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

This plan was not helped by company stock KIM which like most realty companys has a negative 5yr APR. The plan has 22 investment options and 14 of them are in the Balanced portfolio and that portfolio has a 5yr APR = 6.87 with a positve Sharpe ratio 1.10. I do not own any realty funds and I was pleased to find several very good funds in the plan that I rarely see.

Hanover Insurance Group 401k (RSP) PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

The last time I scanned this plan was in the summer of 2008 and it was a lovely Antebellum chart. The post today shows a lifeboat portfolio helped by company stock THG and the Balanced portfolio has 5.3% of the plan in the stock. This is more than the 4.6% the employees have in the stock which rarely happens in 401k plans. All in all a good plan with the stable value fund FMIP2 in the scan the largest holding of both portfolios.

Wisconsin Energy 401k (RSP) PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

The Balanced portfolio has 12.3% of the plan in company stock WEC and the employee portfolio has 23.2% of their money in the stock. This is a diversified plan and the money market fund FRTXX is the largest holding of the Balanced portfolio with over half the investment options in the Balanced portfolio. The plan equity options are balanced and conservative as the 3D scan image shows. The employee portfolio has a 5yr APR = 5.19% with low volatility and a positive 5yr Sharpe ratio.

H.B. Fuller 401k (TP) Plan PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

The plan was helped by company stock FUL again this year but it remains very volatile. The Balanced portfolio invested 4.8% in the stock and its largest holding is still the stable value fund DSVG1 in the scan. The employee portfolio has 32.6% invested in company stock which improved their 5yr APR a little to 5.70% but greatly increased their volatility risk to STD = 12.0%. Remember volatility kills compounding.

Brush Engineered Materials 401k PSDS Scan12-31-2009

This plan was not helped by company stock BW. The Balanced portfolio has over 90% of the plan invested in the money market fund FRTXX and the bond fund PTTRX. The plan needs more diversification. Multiple target date retirement funds do no provide much diversification.

The lifeboat portfolio has a decent return and a positive 5yr Sharpe ratio.

Ball Corp. 401k Plan PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

This plan was helped a bit by company stock and the Balanced potfolio has 0.7% invested in it and the employee portfolio has 24.2% in the stock. The 2 largest holdings in the Balanced portfolio are the GIC 58.1% and the money market fund VMMXX 21.7%, another lifeboat portfolio for now. Vanguard is the trustree with just a couple of funds from other companies. All in all a good plan that could use a bit more diversification.

CBS Corp. 401k Plan PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

Th1s plan has improved perfomance a lot year-over-year no thanks to the stock CBS which remains very volatile. The Balanced portfolio last year was 100% in a money market fund. This year the Balanced portfolio includes 8 of the plans investment options and the GIC is the largest holding at 67.8% of the plan. The employee portfolio invested 5.3% of their money in company stock which did not help perfomance. Their 2 largest holdings are the GIC and SVSPX the Blackrock S&P 500 index fund.

Quest Diagnostics 401k (PSP) PSDS Scan 12-31-209

This plan continues to be helped by company stock DGX but not as much as last year. It had a good 2009 not as good as 2004. The Balanced fund has 7.9% in the stock and a few more investment options have 5yr positive Sharpe ratios and are in the portfolio. The employee portfolio has 17.9% in the stock which increased their 5yr STD risk but not the APR.

Sauer-Danfoss 401k (ESP) Plan PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

This company stock SHS does not have a positive 5yr Sharpe ratio and the Balanced portfolio has the stable value fund SVF.hpx in the scan as its largest holding. The employee portfolio has a less than 3% invested in the stock which is up 134% YTD typical of its high volatility which kills compounding. All in all a good plan with the Schwab Target Date funds represented in the scan by the US Government Lifecycle funds L2010, L2020, L2030 and L2040.

FLOWSERVE Corp. 401k (RSP) PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

The Balanced portfolio for this plan invested 9.5% of the plan in company stock FLS which has positive 5yr and 10yr Sharpe ratios. The largest holding of that portfolio is the Vanguard stable value fund VRST at 38.1% of the portfolio. The employee portfolio has 13.8% invested in company stock and the stable value fund is their largest holding as of 12-31-2009 as well. The 3D scan provides the Balanced portfolio asset allocation and it has 12 investment options. This is a good plan and the employee's did much better than most the last 5yrs.

Allegheny Technologies 401k (RSP) PSDS Scan 12-31-2009

This year the Balanced portfolio includes a few more investment options but the 5yr perfomance is about the same and the GIC is still the largest holding. The employee portfolio invested 8.7% in company stock ATI which has a nice return but is very volatile. That increased their risk a lot and their return a wee bit. The plan has many self directed investment options that are not in the scan. Only options with 5% or more and the target date funds are in the scan and VFITX is a proxy for Blackrock's intermediate bond fund.