1. yes
2. Yes and no-you can, at anytime, see how your fund did the past Q, year, 5 year, since inception online. But where that fund puts it's allocations takes some serious digging. Put the Prudential web site into your favorites and check it at least quarterly. ALSO, start a 3 ring binder and hole punch your quarterly statements and put them in there. If you want to be anal like me, every month print off a copy from the website and put it in the binder. You will learn so damn much about the market within 5 years it'll scare you.
3. Yes and no. You can get a hardship loan for a variety or reasons. The best is for the purchase of a primary residence. I am currently doing this to buy our dream/retirement house. You borrow against your own money and pay it back through payroll deductions all the while your balance doesn't drop but continues to earn you money . Best part is the 4% interest you pay is to yourself. I'll update on this site when I have completed the process and let everyone know what I learned.
Normally I'd say get the hell out of the date specific funds. Their returns blow and the fees are larger. BUT...2014 is going to be a market correction year for the most part and I see little to no gains for the next quarter or two...IMO. THAT IS MY OPINION! Take it for what its worth--very little as opinions are like....well, you know the saying.
The investing mantra has been and always will be diversification!! Put many eggs into many, SOUND, baskets. The rule of thumb is this; time makes millionaires! You do don't have to shove 40% of your pay in if you start early. Compounding is the 8th. wonder of the world! 10% pretax and you'll barely notice a drop in the paycheck. After tax (read, ROTH) 10% is a dramaticaly smaller check now but a hell of a bigger check in 30 years. That 10% grows like a weed over 30 years! Its all about what you are comfortable with. The best part is you can change allocations at any time when life changes. Drop the contributions in years when you need the extra cash, getting married, buying a house/car ect. Jack the contributions up when life is on auto-pilot. When you start to worry about the economy thoss the whole lot into safer choices. You see an insane bull market run (like all of 2013) get you money into the equities. If you want to be lazy and not have to think about it a target date fund is a totally set it and forget it kinda play!
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