Not long ago, Fidelity Investments announced that clients would be able to invest in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin through their 401K and retirement accounts. Additionally, several companies offering 401Ks to their employees could soon see these individuals buying assets like BTC, ether, and perhaps even Dogecoin through their company-funded retirement profiles.
Fidelity advances with encryption
The news was very well received in the crypto space, with many analysts saying it would be a big step towards mainstream status and legitimacy. Financial advisor Ric Edelman, founder of the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals, announced in a statement:
This will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the evolution of cryptocurrencies. For the average American worker, their only place to save for retirement is through a company retirement plan. Millions of workers will now start buying bitcoins they would never have otherwise.However, while Fidelity appears to be implementing various cryptocurrency retention options for its 401K customers, there are a number of individuals and industry leaders who claim that companies are unlikely to use or implement cryptocurrency withdrawal options for employees. Therefore, people who gain access to 401K Fidelity accounts through their companies may not yet have access to bitcoin or its altcoin cousins.
The fact is that it is still a very speculative industry, and many companies are concerned about the well-being of their workers. They don’t want them to pour money into a space that could end up scraping the bottom of the financial barrel the next day. Bitcoin and many other forms of cryptocurrency remain highly volatile, meaning their prices are extremely difficult to predict. These changes come with little to no signal and therefore companies may not want to take the risk right away.
Now, several retirement professionals are emerging to say that if one is really going to fund their retirement accounts with cryptocurrencies through Fidelity, one should take the necessary precautions and expect a little up and down behavior from time to time. . One such figure is Rob Greenman, a financial advisor at Vista Capital Partners. He commented:
Returns are based purely on speculation in the hope that some future buyer will be willing to pay a higher price than the purchase price.What makes investing in cryptocurrencies risky during retirement is that these funds are most often used to take care of yourself when you are elderly or sick. Therefore, this money is often set aside for medical bills and utility payments, especially when you are no longer of working age.
Crypto can balance some things
Financial advisor Jim Shagawat of Advice Period also did his part, saying about cryptocurrencies:
They don't behave in the same way as stocks, bonds, gold or commodities, so adding them to your investment mix can increase return and reduce risk.