What can you do? For millions of Americans, a 401(k) account is the key to retirement security, even riches. Heres how to make yours flourish. These statements were made in USA Weekend when the paper presented a retirement planning guide written by the editors of Kiplingers Personal Finance on September 19, 1999. The article stated that ultra-conservative guaranteed investment contracts (GICs), which offer a set return represented just fifteen percent of 401(k) assets. The article contended that stocks over the long haul were a good choice because they offered almost an eleven percent return over the past seventy-five years. What they failed to mention is that you lose much of the positive compounding effect when you have losing years. And what they didnt consider was long periods of time, for example, sixteen years of low stock prices. If that happens, US stocks as an asset class wont make you wealthy as the article proposed, or do much to provide for your retirement. The best part of a 401(k) is the ability to buy and sell investments without regard for tax consequences. So, if your stock holdings are above what you paid for them, and retirement is a concern, perhaps now is the time to sell your holdings and channel your funds into investments that have a guaranteed return. If you still want exposure to stocks, depending on your plan, you may have international stock investment offerings, or even the chance to load up on solid US companies with a favorable outlook that pay dividends. This way, at least you are getting paid to wait around in a stock that may take a long time to increase in value. The best part of the article is this quote, The long-term consequences of requiring an unqualified person to act as his own chief investment officer should be obvious. Investor education and experience are easily outmatched by proper planning to limit losses and luck.