Barclays US Agg. Bond Index

[PFG]

Looking for the collective wisdom and recommendations from the posters here.

I have a 401 account that, like many, stinks for PP style investing. Fortunately there is a low managed, low expense index fund for the stock portion. There aren't any gold options. Out the window. Don't see any decent cash options. VBSSX and its only 60% Treasuries.

Wanting to do SOMETHING for bonds in the 401 so I'm not 100% stock. There is a bond market account that mirrors the Barclays US Agg. Bond Index. IT has a .44% expense ratio. Makes me sick to pay that, but its lower than all the others I have available:

PTRAX: .71
WACIX: .75
TGBAX: .66
BGNMX: .55


Thoughts on using this bond market account that mirrors the Barclays? It would NOT be the only bonds in my PP, just the only bonds in my 401. I have TBills and TBonds held directly.

Thanks for offering your opinions!

[PFG]

Here is a link to the bond account I have access to:

http://www1.tiaa-cref.org/public/perfor ... /1006.html

http://enroll.tiaa-cref.org/resources/ffs/194408407.pdf

Again, a .44 expense charge. Not good, not awful. If any of the funds listed above look better, I'm all ears. This one is lowest expense, I just don't know much about the following of the Barclays index and if thats a good or bad thing.

[PFG]

Least stinky sock in the hamper is exactly what I'm looking for!

I hold Bonds and Bills directly in my other accounts, but I just want some diversity in my 401.

Looks like the TGBAX option wouldn't be awful. Not appropriate for the PP, but again... the less stinky sock.

[Ad Orientem]

With rare exceptions most 401Ks suck for the PP. My longstanding advice is not to try and jam that square peg into the round hole. Just go with a standard boglehead type portfolio in your 401K and run the PP in your other accounts. To which end...

Go with the low cost stock index fund and use the somewhat pricey bond market index fund. Don't worry about gold or other things. Just set this up as a boglehead portfolio. Your asset allocation obviously will depend on risk tolerances.

On a side note; I think TGBAX could be a very interesting VP play, though it has a fairly steep minimum investment if memory serves.

[PFG]

Thanks for the replys.

Desert, I do have the cash flow to balance in other accounts. Your statement on buying the best available to you in each account really spoke to me. I'm going to forgoe attempting to balance in each account (mostly this 401 that lacks everything but a good stock index), and instead see it as one PP, investing in the best available to me.

Thanks for all the input.

[Ad Orientem]

See this thread on 401Ks...
http://gyroscopicinvesting.com/forum/pe ... head-401k/

[PFG]

Thanks Ad. Read through that as well. Posted a similar question on that thread.

Have decided to use cash flow and other accounts to balance out the 100% stock 401k. Too difficult right now to make each account a pure PP, so going to view my entire portfolio as 1 PP with some accounts holding only one or two of the asset classes.

Like Desert said above - just going to buy the best I can for each account instead of compromising the PP direction.