<prompt> Human: Let me start by saying that I dont know anything about my 401k. During orientation my employer suggested that I contribute 100 to both my 401k and Roth 401k. I have been working there for 16 months and I got my first statement. It says my balance is 3215.00. That seems really low to me. I am going to set up a meeting with the person in charge of my account, is there anything I should tell him during this meeting? and Is that amount of return normal? Thanks for your help.  <response>: OP, I think you would benefit from reading the FAQ topics about retirement accounts and 401ks. It says my balance is 3215.00. That seems really low to me.How much have you contributed to the account?Youre contributing 200 per paycheckmonthsomething, but you dont say. Without knowing the frequency of your contributions we have no way to calculate how much you have contributed so far.Furthermore, without knowing what the money is actually invested in, we cant estimate at all what your account balance should be.You need to get a copy of your most recent account statement and read it carefully. Look at how much you have contributed, what your account balance is, and specifically what your account is invested in. Look to see both if you are being charged line-item fees fees that have entries and specific amounts on your statement and to see what your investment options expense ratios and other expenses are those will be with the fund information and do not show up as line items on your statement.You also need to ask your employers HR department andor the 401k administrator company for a copy of the plans Participant Fee Disclosure document which may be called a 408b2 document or something similar. You are entitled to a copy of this document by law and it will describe all of the fees that can be charged to your account and under what circumstances they may be charged. This document should also list what each of your plans investment options costs. I am going to set up a meeting with the person in charge of my accountWho is this person? Is it someone that works for your company HR or similar, or a person that works for the 401k administration company?Generally, employers cannot give investment advice to participants because it creates liability for the company if participants dont understand the advice andor if the advice is no good. Most benefits employees are not investment experts anyway.Your 401k administrator may make professional advice available to you, but there is a conflict of interest. Your 401k administrator wants to make money off of the 401k plan, that is their business. Most advisers or other professionals they make available do not have any legal obligation to give good advice. If you arent sure, the first question you should ask in any meeting is if the person has a fiduciary obligation when giving you advice meaning they must, by law, give advice that is in your interest, not theirs. If the person responds with anything other than yes, end the meeting or conversation and do not listen to anything else they might have to say. Is that amount of return normal?We have no idea what rate of return your account balance represents, because we dont know how much you have contributed.Furthermore, even if we did know your personal rate of return, it would not be useful information. Understand that past performance is not an indicator of future results and that it depends on the type of investments you hold, their expenses, and market performance for any given period which can vary wildly from one time period to the next. 