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Blog battle: Vanguard 401(k) principal and president of 401(k)-tracker have it out over the Internet

Steve Utkus suggests a flaw in BrightScope's system and Ryan Alfred is having none of it

Author Brooke Southall March 19, 2010 at 6:16 AM
Admin:
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Ryan Alfred: I would have expected Mr. Utkus to do a little bit more research before reaching this erroneous conclusion

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Mentioned in this article:

BrightScope, Inc.
Data and ratings for RIAs




J. Gundlach

J. Gundlach

March 19, 2010 — 8:10 PM

If you really do a proper analysis of each of Brightscope’s ratings categories, you’ll see that each has minor to major flaws. For example, the investment ratings doesn’t take Target Date Funds into consideration when they are a QDIA and account for most of the new money going into DC plans. Utkus analysis is right on the money.

Robert Kasich

Robert Kasich

March 19, 2010 — 9:12 PM

Gundlach, Utkus’ analysis was nothing more than repeating nonsense he has been told. QDIA accounts are meaningless in this context, too, so you too are wrong in principle. What’s so funny is that otherwise intelligent and honorable industry experts are making fairly serious, credibility damaging statements about things they know nothing about. Sometime in the not so distant future, you and others that think they know what BrightScope is and does will find that you knew and understood nothing. By then, you will be professionally irrelevant and won’t even know it. You just won’t be able to secure new business, and will be scratching your head trying to figure out why. The current mutual fund and 401k industry is the 8-track tape. BrightScope created the iPod. The 8-trackers don’t even see it coming. Funny or sad? Maybe both.

JeffryLyon

JeffryLyon

June 17, 2013 — 10:36 PM

Robert Kasich: “analysis was nothing more than”, “things they know nothing about”, “you knew and understood nothing”, “you will be professionally irrelevant and won’t even know it” – HEY! Please stop the insults and return to the important topics at hand. Are the moderators interested in keeping this a serious, professional site?

Brooke Southall

Brooke Southall

June 17, 2013 — 10:45 PM

Jeffry,

Yes, it is hard to know where exactly to draw the moderating line. I err on the side of not purging comments but I purge plenty and we get fewer and fewer ones with nasty tones. Thank you for caring. We do care.

Brooke

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