Private Asset 401(k) Push Has Advisers Warning About Costly Fees

President Donald Trump is reportedly poised to sign an executive order that would allow employees to invest in private assets through their 401(k) retirement plans.

While no details have been released, it’s a move the industry has long pushed, as it eyes the roughly $12.5 trillion parked in employer-sponsored accounts as a prime growth area. Proponents argue it would give ordinary retirement savers access to bigger returns in investments like private equity and debt funds that historically been aimed at wealthier investors.

Read more: Private Assets Group Pushes for Broad Access to Savers’ 401(k)s

But financial experts caution the potential of higher returns can come with steeper fees, greater risk and less liquidity than the publicly ...