ETFs have become increasingly popular as part of taxable or self-directed IRA portfolios, and a flurry of new commission-free ETFs will only accelerate their adoption. There is another less visible but significant move to make ETFs a staple in traditional company sponsored retirement plans such as the 2.7 trillion 401(k) sector.

iShares (recently acquired by BlackRock) established iShares401k.com to promote ETFs within the 401(k) industry. Two vendors -- AdvisorETF401k and Ascensus -- have signed up to provide iShares ETFs for 401(k) plans.

I have seen many articles discussing the various possible causes of the May 6^th flash crash. The purpose of this article is to share some thoughts with you, the retail investor, about how you should react to the flash crash in your personal trading and investing.

First of all, why was the May 6^th flash crash something you need to be concerned about in your investing? May 6^th was a volatile down day. The down day part is not news. In the fall of 2008 there were many days when the Dow changed 500 points or more in a day (mostly down).

By Paul Justice

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