<prompt> Human: The Story:So my employer basically does a 5 match of my salary as long as I contribute at least 6 of my income directly into the company 401k plan. I guess the free money from the match is nice, but the plan sucks. No one is making anything on returns, most are losing between 3-5 per period. Im in the same boat at -3 YTD returns on this account. This has been ongoing for about the past 8 months. The retirement investment company is Transamerica.x200B;My strategy was to invest a bit into each area that they offer. Small Cap, Mid Cap, Large Cap, and International. Ive use similar strategies before and netted between 8-18 returns with both Vanguard and Great Northwest Trust, but this has just been dismal. x200B;What is my recourse - if any?1. Can I move this money to another vehicle with another company to make better returns while Im still employed?2. Should I just contribute just enough to get the match and let that coast. Then move all the rest to a private IRA? My plan is to take 15 of my salary and put it directly into retirement. At the moment Im doing 10 into a traditional 401k and then 5 into a Roth. 3. Is the market just shit? 4. Go see a financial adviser?The only advice Ive receive my transamerica rep is to invest into one of their lifestyle plans based on age group. Only problem is, that is what my coworkers are doing and they are in the exact same boat.  <response>: You dont understand how 401Ks work. A 401K does not loose you money, the fund you are invested in does. We dont know whether what you are invested in is good or bad but bonds and international stocks are down for the year and most US stocks have been flat. The market is not having a great year. The returns the past 10 years have been higher than average. 