"403(b) plan participants have access to their own financial supermarket.... Aspire Financial Services ... provides access to more than 10,000 mutual funds from over 500 fund families ... Many 403(b) participants do not know that Aspire exists because it does not employ salespeople to pitch its products in faculty lunchrooms. This post explores various aspects of Aspire as a 403(b) plan investment provider including its use as a 'back door' to low-expense investments ... It also summarizes a comparison of 403(b) plan expenses and performance as well as three 'need to know' facts and six take-away action steps."  MORE >>