Plan Participants
What is LifeSync?
LifeSync is Maul Capital Management’s managed 401k service. We bring sophistication to the art of 401k investing for hard-working individuals like you. LifeSync helps you get the most out of your 401k investment plan by helping you choose the best portfolio to meet your needs and to carefully monitor portfolio performance on a daily basis.
How does LifeSync work?
Your Investor Profile Questionnaire will help you determine which of the asset allocation models is best for you. We will compare the model you choose with your enrollment form to make sure that the plan you have chosen matches your psychology of investing, as you have described it in the profile. We will contact you if we believe further discussion is necessary.
As the markets change, we will update the mutual funds used in your model and the allocations among them. If your needs change, you may choose a different model more in sync with your new goals.
Why would I want to enroll in LifeSync?
LifeSync is an actively managed 401k management plan – most such plans are not actively managed. This means that the companies that control the money essentially “file and forget” the plans, concentrating their efforts on their higher net worth clients. Maul Capital monitors your investments in the marketplace, and we keep you well informed about the changes taking place in the market.
What’s wrong with unmanaged 401k plans?
Many of your friends may complain that they chose investments for their 401k plans based on past performance, but no one told them that past performance may not accurately indicate future yield. Sometimes people feel uneasy that they are in the wrong plan, but they have no idea how to tell if they are where they should be or not.
These concerns are more likely to arise when the companies running the 401k plans basically just “set and forget.” By contrast, LifeSync provides active management of the model portfolios we offer. We pick the model portfolios and then we watch them carefully to make sure that they perform as expected. If they don’t, we will reassess and may choose different investments. That’s the LifeSync difference.
How does Maul Capital Management get paid?
Nothing motivates our investment decisions except for your best interests. Please note that we do not receive any compensation or commission whatsoever from the 401k brokers or the custodians. We are paid for our services in one of two ways. Some employers pay our fees as a benefit to their employees. Others elect to offer our services to their employees as a choice, in which case you would pay our service fee. Either way, if you feel that our fees are not justified, you can terminate the agreement at any quarterly anniversary.
How can I check my account balance?
Depending on the custodian of your funds, you may be able to check your balance through this website. Your plan administrator will show you how.
How do I change model portfolios or terminate my coverage?
You can find change forms by clicking HERE, or you can get them from your plan administrator. Portfolio changes are processed quarterly on the first business day of the beginning of each quarter.
What’s the secret to your success managing other people’s money better than they manage it themselves?
Some people think the key is a knack for picking up-and-coming stocks. Others think the key is the gift of timing, buying low and selling high. We believe that most investors who succeed do so mainly because of their asset allocation strategy. Asset allocation is simply the way you divide your investing dollars among the three main asset “classes” or groups:
Stocks: Stocks represent partial ownership in a company. Mutual funds that invest mainly in stocks are included in this asset class as well.
Bonds: These are interest-bearing IOUs from large companies or from the government.
Cash Equivalents: are highly liquid investments such as certificates of deposit, Treasury bills, and money market funds.
Each of these three different classes of investments have their risk/ performance characteristics. Our success involves matching these characteristics with your performance needs and your own risk tolerance. Investing is an entirely personal matter with us.
How do you come up with smart asset allocation?
We use a time-tested strategy: Diversification. Diversification means spreading your investing dollars among groups of assets, rather than putting all of your money into one type of investment.
You can also take diversification a step further, diversifying not only across groups of assets but within them as well. This means that in the stock portion of your portfolio, you would include a mix of stocks mutual funds representing a variety of industries and sectors. In the bond portion, you might include some corporate bonds as well as some Treasuries. Different investments do well at different times. By including a variety of investments from a number of industries, we take advantage of groups of assets that are already performing well at a particular time.
How can I enroll?
Enrollment’s easy. Your plan administrator will give you an enrollment packet, and you can follow the easy steps.
Do I need to do anything once I have completed the enrollment process?
Just let us know if your investment objectives have changed or if you have any questions. We’ll be there for you.
