Honestly if your 401k is wiped out by “the inevitable crash”, having cash on hand is probably not going to save you from whatever you’re afraid of. If the line machine stops producing line-go-up entirely, we’re going to look back at this post* like the meme of the astronauts hitting the earth and going, “Oh shit, the economy!!!”

*assuming one of us remembers to print it out on nuclear-warfare-resistant stock

Also, if the stock market goes backwards in a major way, well… it does that regularly, and then eventually goes back up. Don’t chicken little a lifetime investment if you aren’t anywhere near withdrawal age, unless you literally need to eat the money now. In which case, fuck it.

Basically chill and work on building mutually reinforcing connections and support within your community.

Depending on your company or your company’s 401k manager, you might be able to shift to treasury bonds or something somewhat more stable. But, if you’re more than 10 years from retirement age it kind of doesn’t matter, unless we actually see the end of western capitalist supremacy, in which case your 401k is screwed regardless of what you do. Most 401k’s shift investments based on how far you are from retirement age, so in your 20’s it’s in the riskiest investments and in your late 50’s early 60’s it shifts to the most stable investments.

Before you make any changes, give this a read. Time in the market beats timing the market. Obviously everyone’s situation is unique, but unless you’re currently nearing retirement age it’s likely that simply doing nothing and continuing to buy the market will serve you the best in the long run.

“Don’t do something, just stand there!”

That’s the neat part, you don’t! The only way to get through it is to not need any of that money and wait for “the market” to recover, if it ever does

how shelf stable are drugs?

Leave it in the index funds if you’re more than 10 years away from needing it for retirement. You can use target funds to automatically dial back the risk as you get closer to retirement. But if you’re awhile away from retirement, they’ll be invested in stocks anyhow.

There’s a decent chance that it will get cut in half at some point, and then rebound. And it will rebound because the people who have the power to shape the direction of society will guarantee that asset prices stay high, even if it fucks up a lot of other stuff in the process. And so weirdly, your 401k and IRA investments are probably one of the safer ways you can store any accumulated wealth for the long run.

If the line does not go up long term, that’s probably an indication of a fundamental crisis in capitalism, and all bets are off. But I don’t think it’s wise to count on that, for better or worse.

How do I keep my 40k safe from corruption by the Warp?

Depending on who manages it, you can adjust it to be more “conservative” and invest in more stable stocks and treasury bonds. You can also open an IRA and roll the 401K into that.

What’s your current allocation by investment type or fund? What is your age range?

I moved most of mine to an ex-US fund that’s offered by my 401k plan, but even that is going to take a large hit when the bubble pops. My concern is that the U.S. market has been propped up by enormous government expenditures into R&D that are no longer happening, so I was leery of just standing pat. But I plan to simply ride out the crash while continuing to toss money in from every check, which I believe is the safest, most sensible way to go about it, for a long-term investor.

Comrade Lenin of Russia,

Asleep in a marble tomb,

Move over, Comrade Lenin,

And give my 401k some room

You need to go onto the website or call the managing company to see what funds you can invest in. Usually there’s a limited number of funds on offer and they are usually pretty conservative so i wouldn’t worry too much.

“That’s the neat part, you don’t.”

It’s really hard to say. Despite being obviously doomed for a good while now, USian stock have given some of the most reliable returns. Might be something about being a very capitalist society.

If you can afford it, and depending on how much you are worried about losing, talking to a fiduciary financial advisor may be your best answer. I’m not a financial advisor. Most financial advisors would likely caution against doing any of the following.