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How do my spouse and I coordinate our two 401(k)s as one allocation?

Answer

Treat both 401(k)s, plus your IRAs and any taxable accounts, as a single household portfolio with one shared target allocation rather than two separate plans. First, max each available employer match — that's free money you both should capture. Then look at the fund menus: 401(k) plans differ, and one spouse may have a far cheaper or better total-stock or bond option than the other. Place each asset class wherever the best, lowest-cost fund lives. For example, if your plan has a great bond index fund and hers has a cheap S&P 500 fund, concentrate bonds in yours and stocks in hers, even though individually each account looks lopsided — together they hit your household 70/30. Keep a simple shared spreadsheet of every account so you rebalance the whole picture, not each piece. Coordinate beneficiary designations while you're at it.

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