“Stable” may not be the first word you’d use to describe your 401k, but it’s the word David Wray uses. In a news release promoting 401k day, the president of the Profit Sharing/401k Council of America says:

The 401(k) system remains stable in these times of economic uncertainty. … 401(k) participants have continued to be net buyers of equities during this entire period as over half of all new 401(k) contributions go to purchase stocks.

Oh, so he’s talking about the 401k system, not about workers’ shrinking individual accounts. For the past 12 months, the S&P 500 index is down 16 percent. A hypothetical retirement account that was split 50-50 between stock and bond index funds would be down about 11 percent.

Wray’s point seems to be that investors are sticking with their 401ks despite the market turmoil, and of course that is a good thing. If you want to celebrate — or take the organization’s retirement-savings quiz – 401k day is Friday. (Of course the date, Sept. 11, should also call to mind issues far more important than our retirement accounts).