Are target date funds a good investment for retirement?

For many people, yes — they offer instant diversification and automatic rebalancing in a single fund. But they use a one-size-fits-all glide path built around your expected retirement year, not your personal risk tolerance or other savings. It's worth comparing a fund's glide path and cost to your own situation rather than assuming any target date fund is right by default.

What happens to a target date fund after the target year?

It keeps investing and continues to adjust its stock-to-bond mix for years after the target date, though how long varies a lot by series. Vanguard settles into its final allocation only about 7 years after the target date, while T. Rowe Price keeps adjusting for roughly 30 years, before landing on a final, more conservative allocation.(5),(8)

Are target date funds actively or passively managed?

It depends on the series. Vanguard Target Retirement Funds, Fidelity Freedom Index Funds and Schwab Target Index Funds are index-based and passively managed. T. Rowe Price Retirement Funds and American Funds' Target Date Retirement Series are actively managed and typically charge higher fees as a result.

Can I hold a target date fund in a Roth IRA?

Yes. Target date funds are available through most IRA providers as well as employer 401(k) plans, so you can hold one inside a Roth IRA or a standard brokerage account if your provider offers it.

Matt Miczulski

Investments editor and market analyst

Matt Miczulski is an investments editor and market analyst at Finder. With over 450 bylines, Matt dissects and reviews brokers and investing platforms to expose perks and pain points, explores investment products and concepts and covers market news, making investing more accessible and helping readers to make informed financial decisions.

Before joining Finder in 2021, Matt covered everything from finance news and banking to debt and travel for FinanceBuzz. His expertise and analysis on investing and other financial topics has been featured on Yahoo Finance, CBS, MSN, Best Company and Consolidated Credit, among others. Matt holds a BA in history from William Paterson University.

Expertise

Trading and investing
Broker and trading platform reviews
Money management

Experience

Featured on Yahoo Finance, MSN, CBS, Best Company and MediaFeed, among other sites
More than 450 bylines on investing, budgeting and saving, paying off debt, mortgages, credit cards and more
Well versed in breaking down financial jargon and complex topics to meet readers where they are in their financial journey

Education

Bachelor of Arts, History

Educational organizations

William Paterson University

Featured publications

Industry insights from Matt Miczulski

We asked Matt a few questions around investing and industry trends.

What trading and investing platforms do you use personally?

TD Ameritrade and Robinhood are two brokers I personally use for trading and investing. TD Ameritrade is where I do the bulk of my investing. I enjoy the clean, sophisticated look and feel of its web and desktop trading platforms. Its research tools are extensive and informative — I particularly like its valuation tool, which provides an analysis of valuation metrics like price-to-earnings ratio, gross profit margin, dividend yield and growth rate, earnings and revenue growth and financial strength, among others. TD Ameritrade offers all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a big broker, and it’s been my go-to platform since 2017. I also have an account with Robinhood, which I use occasionally for speculative trades and fractional share trading. Robinhood offers a completely different feel compared to TD Ameritrade, and it’s a nice change of pace. It’s engaging and incredibly easy to trade.

What’s the difference between trading and investing?

The main difference between trading and investing is the timeline. Traders usually look to capitalize on short-term price movements of a security and make quicker profits, while investors look to grow their money over the long-term by buying and holding a security.

What should investors consider when looking for a broker or trading app?

This is a good question, because there are so many different brokers nowadays, each with its own unique spin on the trading experience. I’d say to consider these factors when looking for a broker or trading app: Decide if you want to invest on your own or have your portfolio managed. If you want your portfolio managed, are you open to a robo-advisor? If you want to invest on your own, does the platform meet your experience level? Does it offer the tools and resources that match your trading style? Look at account types and available investment options so you can build the portfolio you want. Look at trading and miscellaneous fees to gauge the overall cost of using the broker. Look at user reviews to gauge the overall sentiment of the platform. And last but not least, judge the broker’s level of customer support. You want to be confident that you’ll get the help you need if a problem or question arises.

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