It is possible for you to be loosing money in your 401k and have the ending balance increase each month. This is easily explained by subtracting the contributions you had made since your last statement. You have lost money if you take your ending balance, subtract your latest contributions and your beginning balance and you end up with a negative number.

Have you ever seen a reverse stock split in your statement? This is just what it sounds like, the opposite of a stock split (confusing for investors). An example of this would be a company has suffered a tremendous loss in a short period of time. Company A looses 50% of its stock value. Company A announces a 2 for 1 reverse stock split just before they announce their earnings per share to their investors. This would keep their earnings per share identical to their last reporting even though it lost 50% of its value. You would just have half the amount of shares to your name, but each one would be valued the same as your last statement. ($100 per share, 100 shares, 2 for 1 reverse stock split, $200 per share, 50 shares-No gain or loss yet. Then company looses 50% of their stock value ($100 per share, 50 shares). You started out with $10,000 ($100 x 100 shares). You ended with $5,000 ($100 x 50 shares).

Another thing you should be aware of is the "Management Fees" you are paying to have this account. It is not free to have an IRA/401k/SEP. Usually, these fees are about 3% of you account balance EACH YEAR. Even if they are losing your money, you still may be paying them thousands of dollars EACH YEAR to do this. You need to subtract ALL the fees you pay for this account to determine how much money you are making. Is the account a drain on your assets or your assets or is it working for you?

Gold has gone up over 40%, Silver is up over to 50% in the last 52 weeks while all the major mutual funds are posting losses. Trade your losers for a winner! You may rollover IRA, SEP, and 401K accounts into precious metals as well as take them home with you. Putting your money in a precious metal IRA you DO NOT PAY ANY "MANAGEMENT FEES!" There is a once in a lifetime charge to purchase the coins. Never pay more the 10% for this! Hold them as many years as you like and never pay another commission! You will have to pay a $65 per year storage fee. If you take the coins home with you, you may payyourself anything you wish for a storage fee.

If you are interested in learning about diversifying your portfolio with precious metals call Tamara 303-771-5825 at Golden IRA's & Investments, Inc. in Denver, Colorado. I love to educate others about protecting their accumulated wealth. You may also visit www.goldeniras.com to learn more.