<prompt> Human: Just started a job and the match is 4.8. Im having trouble finding statistical sources to help determine their benefit in the long term. Assistant: They are definitely worth it. Especially with that return rate your company offers Human: Thats what Im thinking. I just hear lots of people say its not worth it or that theyve lost a good bit of money and Im having trouble finding statistics that show how many people have gained money and how much its helped.  <response>: That has nothing to do with 401ks specifically. It has to do with the stock market in general. A 401k is just an account type. You can put the money in there into basically the equivalent of a savings account if you want not recommending.Statistics on how many people gained or lost money is irrelevant. It has nothing to do with 401ks. It has to do with how they chose to invest their money. If someone made a very risky investment and lost, that has nothing to do with 401ks and should have no impact on your choice to contribute to a 401k. 