im sorry merdock ,but in my my opinion a 401k is NOT a pension !! its a savings and investment plan that gets paid out LIKE a pension..its a way for corp. america to get out of paying a real pension ..a pension is supposed to be payed for 100 percent..they pay a measley 1.5 percent into our 401k savings plan ,, who pays the other 98.5 percent ??? the 401k was started so people in less lucrative jobs could have "something" when they retire ,, but as usual big greedy companies are dumping there traditional pensions left and right in favor of the 401k...little or no risk to the company and alot less money off the top..please tell me what you all think about MY opinion on this...