Some investors may soon be able to add cryptocurrency to their 401 (k) accounts. Fidelity Investments announced Tuesday that it will begin allowing investors to place cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin in 401 (k) retirement accounts, making it the first provider to do so. You can add Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to your retirement plan. However, it's best to talk to a professional financial advisor familiar with cryptocurrency first to do so.
An advisor can help you place your Bitcoin in your portfolio as part of a strategic investment plan. As with other, more volatile investment categories, such as stocks, the slow decline strategy will be valuable when investing in cryptocurrency; when you're younger, you have a longer investment time horizon and, historically, longer time horizons are associated with lower volatility. Therefore, as retirement approaches, retirement savings may gradually shift to active ones. Fidelity Investments just caused quite a stir by announcing that it will allow trading Bitcoin on the 401 (k) plans they manage starting in the middle of the year.
Traditional retirement accounts don't usually allow you to invest in crypto assets. There are special self-directed individual retirement accounts (IRAs) that you can use to invest in Bitcoin and other crypto assets, but these accounts can be expensive and the regulations are cumbersome. So if you're thinking about it, you'll probably need to invest in cryptocurrency outside of your traditional retirement fund. However, it's important to understand the risks of doing so.
Founded in 1993 by brothers Tom and David Gardner, The Motley Fool helps millions of people achieve financial freedom through our website, podcasts, books, newspaper columns, radio programs and premium investment services. Motley Fool issues a rare “All In Buy” alert You're reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool's premium investment services. Become a Motley Fool member today for instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investment resources and more. Learn more Cryptocurrency is one of the most popular investments in recent years and many investors have made an effort to participate.
Institutional investors have also joined the cryptocurrency craze. In fact, Fidelity Investments recently announced that it will begin allowing 401 (k) investors to contribute a portion of their savings to digital assets, including Bitcoin (1.43% of BTC). This is an important moment for cryptocurrencies, as Fidelity is the first major 401 (k) provider to include cryptocurrency as an investment option. Does this mean that you should devote part of your savings to Bitcoin? Maybe, or maybe not.
The main reason to consider investing in Bitcoin is that if its value explodes over time, you could make a lot of money. Of course, no one can say with certainty where Bitcoin will go. Cryptocurrency has some unique advantages, but it's not perfect. However, if you end up doubling or even tripling in value, investing even a small amount now could be a smart move.
Despite being a potentially lucrative investment, Bitcoin is also incredibly risky. All cryptocurrencies are still speculative right now, making them a different type of investment. Unlike stocks, cryptocurrencies have only existed for a little over a decade. It doesn't have a long history of growth over time, and no one knows if it will exist in a few years.
Even experts are divided on its potential, with some predicting that its value will skyrocket, while others believe it will eventually drop to zero. Even if cryptocurrencies thrive over time, they're likely to experience high levels of volatility in the short term. In fact, Bitcoin has lost more than 80% of its value multiple times over the past decade. If you're close to retiring, that level of turbulence can be difficult to endure.
The Department of Labor recently issued a statement warning against investing 401 (k) funds in cryptocurrencies. The agency advised trustees considering offering cryptocurrency as an investment to be very careful, arguing that cryptocurrencies may be too risky for retirement savings. Whether or not you should allocate a portion of your retirement savings to Bitcoin will depend on your age and risk tolerance. If you're approaching retirement age, it may be best to avoid cryptocurrency altogether.
Because it's so risky and volatile, it could spell trouble for your retirement if it collapses. Similarly, if you're a risk-averse investor, Bitcoin's crazy ups and downs could turn it into a stressful investment. On the other hand, if you have money to spare and are willing to take a risk, you can choose to invest a small amount in Bitcoin. There's always a chance that you'll lose your investment, but you could also make substantial profits if Bitcoin is successful.
If you're willing to take that risk, it may be the right investment for you. However, make sure that you're only investing money that you can realistically afford to lose. In addition, it's important that the rest of your portfolio is well diversified so that, if Bitcoin fails, most of your money is safe. Bitcoin may be a smart investment, but it's not right for everyone.
If you decide to invest, make sure you understand both the advantages and disadvantages. And if you decide that Bitcoin isn't the right choice for you, there are many other investments that might be more appropriate. Market-leading stocks from our award-winning team of analysts. Invest better with The Motley Fool.
Get stock recommendations, portfolio guidance and more from The Motley Fool's premium services. Making the world smarter, happier and richer. Then there are the custodians, such as IRA Financial, who allow customers to invest in digital currencies directly through a cryptocurrency exchange. Investors curious about cryptocurrency can get the best of both worlds by first contributing enough to their 401 (k) plan to cover an employer's counterpart, if offered, or by channeling funds to an IRA.
Generally, the way to decide between investing with an IRA or a Roth IRA is to assess whether your tax rate is likely to be higher now or higher when you retire; if it's higher now, the traditional IRA may be the better option. Nobody needs to remember the extraordinary returns that cryptocurrencies have offered to many investors, but the key to their retirement portfolio is the diversification offered by cryptocurrencies. But saving for retirement doesn't have to mean losing cryptocurrency if that's something you're really excited about, Molina says. Other eligibility requirements may vary depending on the type of retirement plan you have, such as a traditional or Roth IRA, 403 (b), 457 and a savings plan (TSP).
Since contributions to retirement accounts are made over many years, you'll naturally use an average cost in dollars (DCA) strategy, ensuring that, for decades, you'll have been buying cryptocurrency at an average price, neither at the end nor at the end of any cycle. Fidelity can make Bitcoin available on its platform, but it's up to your plan's trustee to decide if having cryptocurrency on your 401 (k) plan is best for you and other participants, or if it offers you other non-traditional investments, in fact. The way to rely even more on a strategy for averaging the cost in dollars for all your investments (not just cryptocurrency) is to set up automatic transfers from your checking account to invest a little in a retirement account every month or, in the case of a 401 (k) plan, in each payment period. Cryptocurrency investment, while easily accessible through financial applications such as Square's Cash app and PayPal, involves risks.
Many cryptocurrency investors use it as a way to diversify their portfolio to compensate for price drops in other investments. But how much time do you spend thinking specifically about retirement savings? After all, past performance offers no guarantee of future earnings, and even if you bet on cryptocurrency, it's important to know how to plan for a safe and comfortable retirement. Cryptocurrencies are digital assets that can be used in financial transactions or as a speculative investment. There are several Bitcoin IRA companies trying to facilitate investing in Bitcoin for retirement.
Therefore, the introduction of Bitcoin into a 401 (k) is a big problem and opens up vast new liquidity pools for investment in the front-line cryptocurrency. . .
