i got lucky w/ my 401k (until i got laid off, otherwise it would have been even better!). dollar to dollar match up to 5%, and since i got a 5% shift differential the bulk of the time i was there it was almost like a 10% raise with no effort, all in my 401k. the program was managed by merrill lynch, who i had great experiences with.
had i not been laid off by the company that bought us out, they would have matched dollar for dollar up to 6% and then an additional 50 cents on the dollar if you met performance goals for a total %9 employer contribution and 6% employee. WAH!!!
DH is getting hosed, though. his company matches 50 cents on the dollar IN COMPANY STOCK. and it's a newspaper, so their stock has been going down for the past 3 years or so
tradition is to sell the stock once a month and invest the money in the other funds available.