what are the criteria for roth 401 k withdrawals 
a withdrawal is only considered a qualified distribution as long as you ve held the account for at least five years and you re 59 unless you are disabled or the account holder dies 517can you lose money in a roth 401 k you can lose money in any investment if the market tanks that said most plans offer several funds including very low risk options like government bond funds you can mix and match choices to reach the level of risk you are comfortable taking you can also lose money in a roth 401 k if you break the rules and take early distributions if you re considering taking some money out early check with the fund administrator to find out whether you might owe a tax penalty 5the bottom lineroth 401 k plans allow a company s employees to start investing for retirement both the traditional 401 k and the roth version may offer an employer match however there is a big difference between the two whereas a traditional 401 k is funded using after tax dollars translating to a tax break up front a roth is funded using after tax dollars meaning that there are no income taxes when you take distributions during retirement 10