Fees in 401(k) plans are roughly double what they should be, according to Adele Langie Heller, a retirement plan investment consultant with Rogers Casey in Darien, Conn. And they're still heading up.

Many of the 401(k) expenses are wrapped into the mutual fund expense ratio and paid by the mutual fund investors. That's the money subtracted from mutual fund assets each year. It is expressed as a percent of assets, usually in basis points. Look at the mutual fund prospectus to find the expense ratio.

As a benchmark, Heller says a large-company stock fund should have an expense ratio of about 82 basis points. A basis point is 1/100th of one percent. The industry average for large company stock funds is 128 basis points. A reasonable expense ratio for a bond fund is 42 basis points, she says. The average is 78 basis points.

Many plans are also adding 12(b) 1 fees, which is a separate annual charge that comes out of the fund's assets. Reject 12(b) 1 fees.

Small-company plans often charge additional fees. These might come in the form of a commission or a fee that wraps around all the assets in the plan.

Look at all the fees. And complain loudly if they are too high.