I’m in my 20s and keep getting laid off. Should I invest in my employer’s 401(k) or look into other options?

Should I invest in my employer’s 401(k) or look into other options? I’m in my 20s and keep getting laid off. I’ve been laid off multiple times in my short career and I have lost faith that the traditional career spanning decades at one company even exists anymore.

I currently work at a company that matches contributions, which is a great benefit, but I’m curious if there are better options, especially for someone always expecting the next layoff and potential career pivots. Copyright ©2026 MarketWatch, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 The stock market is anything but normal right now — and these charts show it Three reasons this Wall Street market-making powerhouse says investors should reload on stocks right now Another viral AI-doomsday report claims ‘it’s over.’ Why home prices could take a hit as screen-based jobs disappear.

The frozen-food aisle may be too crowded for its own good. Amazon is hiking chip-rental prices and reportedly moving Nvidia processors off the balance sheet Aditi Shrikant is a personal-finance reporter at MarketWatch who writes the Dollar Signs advice column. Previously, she was a lead reporter at CNBC's "Make It" covering relationships and psychology.

Before that, she reported on consumer spending and transportation at Vox.com. Intraday Data provided by FACTSET and subject to terms of use. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by FACTSET.

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