Good point. Gov regulated retirement plan, not gov sponsored retirement plan. As was pointed out the 401k comes from the IRS tax code. Just trying to let OP know there are alternatives. Even though the gov has passed policy to steal current retirees pension money, they would NEVER steal retirees 401k retirement money. Even though SSI used to be tax exempt income but now is, the gov would NEVER cut future benefits or increase deductibles on medicare based on a means test. I don't recommend USD in a glass jar but Swiss Francs in a safety deposit box isn't that bad of an idea, though the swiss central bank will never allow currency appreciation to go out of control. Honestly I was going to mention these things to my fellow drivers but based on the responses here best to let people think what they want.