which of these funds for my 401k?

[stim728]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and all together new to investing as well. I'm 23, make ~50k/year

my company matches 50% up to 1,500, so I'm going to put in 3000, the company 1,5000 for a total of 4.5K. In this way, I plan to contribute 4.5K annually into my 401K.

Here are my options:

Federal money Market Fund
Total Bond Market Index Fund
LifeStrategy Moderate Growth Fund
LifeStrategy Growth Fund
500 Index Fund
Total Stock Market Index Funx
Mid-Cap Index Fund
Small-Cap Index Fund
US Growth Fund
International Growth Fund

I don't know much about this stuff (I know how compounding interest works, I even took a Math of Finance class), but I just don't know whats best for me. I have good job security, and plan to be investing a few thousand/year into a ROTH IRA as well. My intention with the ROTH IRA is that it will come in handy when I buy my first house.

 

[amtrak]

With the caveat that this is a forum for traders (weekly and monthly outlooks are long-term),
I'm fiddling with about the same decisions for my retirement money as you mentioned in your post.
International Growth is good because international growth rates will outpace U.S. growth rates next year.
But U.S. equities aren't bad because the current weakness in the dollar will help them --
so the small-cap index fund and the total market index fund look good
(John Bogle of Vanguard fame recommends total market fund investing).
And a small percentage in the bond fund wouldn't hurt.

Keep reading this board and you'll find ideas for swing trading (several days to a week or more)
that you'll be able to try even from work.

 

[whitster]

on a longterm fund basis, i REALLY like vanguard Wellington fund.

i trade 1/2 of the capital in my IRA, the other 1/2 is in funds/etf's : wellington fund, an international fund, a bond fund, a gold fund (midsx), a s&p equal weighted fund (i far prefer equal weighted S&P vs. cap-weighted) , USO (oil etf), etc. and a few stalwarts - Boeing (BA), etc.

i