The rally in bitcoin and other cryptocurrency prices has generated excitement among some investors, but investment advisors are largely still skeptical that those volatile assets belong in a 401(k) plan or other qualified retirement savings plans.
Crypto was one of the fastest-growing categories of exchange-traded funds in 2024. The most popular of these funds, the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT), has ballooned to over $50 billion in total assets.
Although crypto is a small part of the 401(k) plan market, it could grow substantially in 2025.
President-elect Donald Trump has suggested he will create a strategic reserve of bitcoin for the U.S. and has nominated Paul Atkins, a cryptocurrency advocate, to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC’s approval of spot bitcoin and ethereum exchange-traded funds in 2024 was a key change for the industry.
The law covering 401(k) plans requires plan sponsors to act as fiduciaries, or in investors’ best interest, by considering the risk of loss and potential gains of investments. The Labor Department has cautioned fiduciaries to exercise “extreme care” before adding crypto options to a 401(k) plan’s core investments.
Labor Department officials, however, haven’t required fiduciaries to select and monitor all investment options, like those offered through self-directed brokerage windows, according to the Government Accountability Office. Nearly 40% of plans now offer brokerage windows in their 401(k) accounts, according to a 2023 survey by the Plan Sponsor Council of America.
Pros and cons of crypto in a 401(k) plan
Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
Views are mixed about how much crypto to add to retirement savings or if it’s wise to allocate any at all.
Some financial advisors say crypto can work for a 401(k) plan because its movements are unconnected to the stock market and it functions even if a fiat currency is devalued.
“Crypto should be a part of a 401(k) plan because it’s a non-correlated alternative asset class,” said Ivory Johnson, a certified financial planner and founder of Delancey Wealth Management in Washington, D.C.
“With that said, investors need to ensure that they take their risk tolerance and time horizon into account which will define the target allocation,” said Johnson, who is also a member of the CNBC Financial Advisor Council. “The more volatile an asset class is, the less you need of it in the portfolio because you presumably get more bang for your buck.”
Johnson recommends cryptocurrencies range from 2% to 8% of an investor’s portfolio.
Other experts point to volatility and risk as reasons to be conservative.
“People saving for retirement should probably be even more conservative, because adding crypto to a 401(k) plan would significantly increase the risk that your retirement nest egg could suffer a large loss at the wrong time,” said Amy Arnott, a chartered financial analyst and portfolio strategist with Morningstar Research Services.
Morningstar found that since September 2015, bitcoin has been nearly five times as volatile as U.S. stocks, and ether nearly 10 times as volatile. That type of volatility adds a large risk to a portfolio even with a small amount invested.
401(k) contribution limits for 2025
Regardless of what assets are in a 401(k) plan, there are limits to how much you can contribute. For 2025, an employee can contribute up to $23,500 in a 401(k) and other employer-sponsored plans — that’s $500 more than in 2024.
People age 50 or older can make a “catch-up contribution” of up to $7,500. And those age 60 to 63 years old can supersize that, with a catch-up contribution of up to $11,250 for 2025.
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