What is the best investment strategy for a 401k?

Remember it's a long term investment...don't try to run up big gains year over year ... just shoot for " better than average".
About 70 to 75% of your money should be in " balanced fund" and maybe S&P index or "real estate fund" ( if your pla offers one).....then with your other 25/30% go a little international and/ or small/mid-caps.
I f you watch close and trade/ exchange every so often you could be up in the high teens ( returns)....if you just " let it lay" hopefully low teens...
Good luck

50% S&P 500
25% Precious Metals
25% Small Cap or Emerging Markets.

your 401 should be considered a safe haven mutual funds work very well in this enviroment. Nothing too risky but nothing too soft either. It also depends what your employer offers in their 401k.

there has never been a ten-year period ever where stocks did not perform twice as well as any other asset class. ever.

that includes the depression. the dust bowl real estate market was happening at the same time. the fact is that there has not only never been a ten-year period where stocks didn't break even, there has never been a period where they didnt' make TWICE as uch as anything else.

So, if you're your 401K money's going to be in there for at least ten years, buy stock mutual funds. period.

It depends on how long you have until retirement, and other income you will have in retirement. The rule of thumb is that you should have the same percentage in fixed income (bonds, money markets, CD's etc) as your age. Use that as a reference point for the amount of risk you are willing and able to take The rest should be diversified betwen equity mutual funds, domestic and internatinal. .