To OP: The replies emphasizing avoiding high fees to maximize long term returns are right on. What you need to do when speaking to a broker (insurance company or bank), is to ask them to disclose ALL fees AND Commissions. Buying mutual funds can be tricky. For example with American Funds they have numerous share classes running from A to Z. Unless they disclose which share class they are recommending, you won't know whether they have front-end loads or not, or how much the expense ratio is. The expense ratio is how much the fund itself charges to pay the fund management and other expenses. Front-end loads are in addition to the expense ratio. Loads go in whole or part to the sales guy who sells you the product. Sometimes the sales people receive additional commission from the fund families for exclusively pushing their products. You have a right to know how much the brokers are making off you. And be careful that they are not pointing you in the direction of an annuity, which can have fees all its own, over and above these other fees. The question you want to ask yourself is, how much do you want to contribute to some slick salesman's monthly boat payments?
Given that you come across as a slightly knowledgeable investor, stay with a diversified portfolio of passively managed index mutual funds. Vanguard will be willing to give you some free basic advise on how to set up a low cost diversified portfolio. Fidelity and Schwab offer index funds as well, though I am not sure how much free advise they will provide to someone who is not a "wealthy" investor. But you can always ask. John Bogle, who founded Vanguard, has several books on investing, and one (or more) is worthwhile reading. Also you can read commentaries at mutualfundobserver.com They are not fans of passively managed mutual funds, but they can help you with your learning curve of investing and the crappy things that some fund families do.
Regarding the 401k, do try to capture the entire company match. Then if you can afford it, max out a Roth IRA. If you still have more to invest, then put it in the 401k. When determining how much you can invest, think about an emergency fund to live on if you lose your job, and how much you need to live on and save toward things like buying a home somewhere down the road. Good luck.