Private equity, real estate, digital assets, and other alternatives are getting a friendlier regulatory hearing in defined-contribution plans. That does not make them automatically appropriate, cheap, liquid, or available to every 401(k) participant.
The best place for short-term money depends on what the cash needs to do. Compare bank deposits, money market funds, Treasury bills, municipal bonds, and short-duration bond funds by after-tax yield, liquidity, principal risk, and insurance rather than headline yield alone.
A spectacular track record can come from skill, luck, leverage, concentration, or a favorable market regime. Here is how to evaluate a famous manager without blindly chasing past performance.
