Several ways to overcome a lineup of expensive, lackluster mutual funds

In the past several years, retirement plans have been busy adding mutual funds and expanding investment options. But more isn't always better.

"There are still very few 401(k) plans with a lot of investment options we'd enthusiastically recommend," said Paul Merriman, of Merriman Capital Management, a registered investment adviser in Seattle.

So what if your defined-contribution plan at work features a lineup of mutual funds that seems lackluster?

"I've never run across a 401(k) plan so bad that I would discourage someone from using it completely," said Raymond Benton, a longtime Denver-based adviser. "You should at least be able to find one fund to invest in."

And that's important, as Merriman says, because "you want to take advantage of any matching contributions by your employer."

So rather than compound the problem by making lousy choices within a lousy 401(k) plan, you can make

NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil's rise to $100 a barrel, which seemed a done deal as recently as two days ago, was dealt a severe blow Wednesday when the government reported an increase in supplies at the Nymex delivery terminal in Cushing, Okla., which is closely watched by traders as a benchmark of oil inventory tightness.

Anemic growth in demand and a jump in refinery activity also weighed on prices, which have dropped sharply in recent days on concerns about the economy and expectations supplies will grow.

"The report ... added to the bearish sentiment in the market," said Eric Wittenauer, an energy analyst at A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. in St. Louis. "It comes at a period in time when OPEC is boosting production ... and considering another increase in production."

Light, sweet crude for January delivery plunged $3.80 to settle at $90.62 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange following Tuesday's drop of $3.28 a barrel.

That was crude's second largest two-day price decline since the Nymex introduced a futures contract in 1983. On Oct. 19 and 22, 1990, crude prices dropped $8.42.

The latest price is $8.67, or 8.7 percent, below the record price of $99.29 set last week.