401k? Or pension?

You can greatly minimize the threat by diversification. My investments are over different sectors of the economy. NEVER put all your eggs in one sock.

 

Diversification only works when you do it across vehicles, the stock market is one vehicle, real property is another and so on. You can't take your 401k and invest it into rental houses.

The stock market can move downwards in one day, not just segments but the entire market. It happened in 1929, it happened in 1987 and in 2008. The 2008 hurt a lot of people who bought into the bs that it is a safe place to put retirement money.

The threat is always there. The people who were saying what I said, said it back 150 years ago and is very true today, it isn't a place where you put money that you can't afford to lose.

 

Even if you have a pension, i would still have a brokerage account and put money other places like utilities and I understand.

 

I have absolute control of my company pension including determining which funds the money is invested.
I would not sleep well if the funds were in the companies control. Too often companies use pension funds to bankroll their next poor financial decision. Many steel mill employees learned this some years ago when their pensions got reduced to half or less

 

Yes I know. That is why I invest like I do. I have been doing this since the 70s. And now that I am retired and disabled I can't afford to start over.

 

The way I look at a pension is bonus money. If I get it cool, but I sure as hell am not counting on it.

I got a Roth and 401k going now.

 

I had to start over, three times, this time I am super aggressive in how to make the retirement money, no more stock market crap, no more managed funds, it is all under my control.

 

Correct.....no vesting means you get to keep whatever employer contributes from day 1....yes you can roll a 401K into another or into a Roth IRA / Traditional IRA.

 

I'd go the 401k route. I've worked for several places and every time I leave, I transfer it into a ROTH account