No, your 401k isn’t safe if the market crashes. Since 401(k) is invested in stock and bond funds, your account’s value will fluctuate,  depending on the market performance. This is nothing to fear, but the normal ups and downs of investing in the stock and bond markets. The volatility is the price you pay to receive higher investment returns. Since your 401k is invested for retirement, it’s very likely that your 401k account will be worth a lot more than you invested, upon retirement.  Diversification in stock and bond investments, will help temper the account’s price volatility.