Does my 401k own Tesla? For most people with a U.S. stock index fund in their plan, the answer is yes, in a small amount, and some of them now own SpaceX too. Which one you hold depends on the index behind each fund. As of Nov. 4, State Street’s S&P 500 fund, SPY, had 1.64% of its money in Tesla and none in SpaceX, while Invesco’s Nasdaq-100 fund held both.
Where it stands: SpaceX began trading publicly on June 12 and has since been added to several of the indexes that retirement funds copy, though not the S&P 500. The fund-company files cited here run from Sept. 30 to Nov. 4, and weights move daily with share prices.
Does my 401k own Tesla or SpaceX?
If you hold an S&P 500 or total-market index fund, you own Tesla. If you hold a total-market or Nasdaq-100 fund, you also own SpaceX. That follows from how index funds work: the SEC’s Investor.gov explains that an index fund invests “primarily by investing in the securities of companies that are included in a selected index.” When an index adds a company, the funds that copy it buy that company.
Marketplace made the same point about SpaceX in July: “if you’ve invested your retirement savings in a fund that tracks one of these indexes, that means you’re also invested in SpaceX.” Actively managed funds are different. They pick stocks one by one, so you have to check each of them.
How do I check what my 401(k) funds hold?
You need your plan’s fund list and each fund’s holdings page. Work through it fund by fund.
- Get the exact fund names. Log in to your plan’s website and open the page that lists your investments, often called the investment lineup or your current allocation. Write down each fund’s full name and, if shown, its ticker or share class. The version in your plan may be a different share class from the one sold to the public, but it holds the same stocks.
- Find the fund’s holdings page or fact sheet. Search the fund company’s site for that name. Look for a tab labeled holdings or portfolio, or a one- or two-page fact sheet with a top-10 holdings list. Tesla and SpaceX show up by name.
- Check the date. Every holdings list carries an “as of” date. Some update daily, others monthly or quarterly. Vanguard’s total-market file we used was dated Sept. 30; State Street’s S&P 500 page was dated Nov. 4.
- If a name is not in the top 10, open the full list. Most fund pages offer a download of every holding. Search it for “Tesla” and “Space Exploration,” the formal name SpaceX trades under.
- Read the official documents if you want more. Investor.gov says every fund’s prospectus and most recent shareholder report can be downloaded at no cost, both from the SEC and from the fund company.
- Ask if you are stuck. Your plan administrator or HR benefits contact can send you the fund fact sheets your plan offers, including for custom funds you cannot look up by name.
Write the weights down per $100 invested. That makes it easier to add up the same company across several funds, and it shows how small most of these positions are.
What do common 401(k) index funds hold?
The S&P 500 funds hold Tesla but not SpaceX, total-market funds hold both with SpaceX tiny, and Nasdaq-100 funds hold the most of both. The examples below come from the fund companies’ own holdings data.
| If your 401(k) fund follows… | Tesla? | SpaceX? | Example from a holdings file |
|---|---|---|---|
| The S&P 500 | Yes | No | SPY: Tesla 1.64% (Nov. 4) |
| The total U.S. market (CRSP) | Yes | Yes, small | VTI: about $1.36 Tesla and $0.12 SpaceX per $100 (Sept. 30) |
| The Nasdaq-100 | Yes | Yes | QQQ: about $3.28 Tesla and $2.61 SpaceX per $100 (Nov. 4) |
| The Dow Jones Industrial Average | No | No | Per CNN, neither is in the Dow |
In a total-market fund, the SpaceX slice is tiny. Speaking to Marketplace in July, Ritholtz Wealth Management’s Ben Carlson put it this way: “If you invested $100,000, around $100 would be invested in SpaceX.” Vanguard’s Sept. 30 VTI file still showed SpaceX at about $0.12 per $100. The Nasdaq-100 is the outlier; Invesco’s QQQ file for Nov. 4 put Tesla and SpaceX together at nearly six cents of every dollar, by our math. For more on why plan menus lean on index funds, see our comparison of index and managed funds.
What about target-date funds?
A target-date fund is usually a wrapper around other funds, so you have to look one layer down. Investor.gov describes them as typically holding “a mix of stock funds, bond funds and other funds.” Its asset-allocation guide adds that the name usually gives away the target year, with names like “Target 2045.”
To check one, open its fact sheet and find the list of underlying funds. If a U.S. stock piece is an S&P 500 or total-market index fund, look that fund up with the steps above. The fund’s overall Tesla exposure is that weight multiplied by the share of the target-date fund held in that piece, so it is usually smaller than in the stock fund itself. Investor.gov also warns that funds holding other funds “may charge a double layer of fees,” something we covered in our target-date fee guide.
What can I do if I want less Tesla or SpaceX exposure?
Inside a 401(k), your choices are the funds on your plan’s menu. You cannot ask an index fund to drop one stock. What you can do is compare the funds you are offered and see what each one holds.
Coverage of SpaceX’s index debut laid out some of the differences. CNN noted that SpaceX will not be eligible for the S&P 500 for at least a year, while the S&P 500 “does, however, include Tesla.” It said the Dow includes neither company, and mentioned international index funds as a way some investors avoid U.S. companies altogether. Carlson told Marketplace that small-cap and value funds are other ways around total-market funds. Whether any of these is offered depends on your plan.
Every choice has a trade-off. CNN quoted Warren Hurt, chief investment officer at F&M Trust, saying there are pros and cons to building around avoiding specific companies, and noted that investors risk missing returns from fast-growing tech stocks. The SEC’s beginners’ guide says it “cannot recommend any particular investment product,” and warns that a fund focused on one industry may not deliver real diversification. Save Money Quick does not recommend any fund either. Any change also affects your mix of stocks and bonds, so review the whole account, along with your employer match, before acting.
The SpaceX share in broad funds started small. When CRSP, the index behind Vanguard’s total-market funds, added SpaceX on June 23, it took up 0.15% of the Total Stock Market ETF’s assets, Morningstar reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my 401k own Tesla if I only picked a target-date fund?
Possibly. A target-date fund usually owns several other funds, so check which stock funds it holds and then look up those funds. If one of them tracks the S&P 500 or the total U.S. market, Tesla is in it.
Where do I find my 401(k) fund holdings?
Start with the investment lineup on your plan website to get each fund’s exact name. Then open the fund company’s page for that fund and look for holdings or a fact sheet. The SEC says prospectuses and shareholder reports are free on its website and the fund’s.
Is SpaceX in an S&P 500 index fund?
No. SpaceX is not yet eligible for the S&P 500, and CNN reported it will not be for at least a year. Tesla is in the S&P 500.
How much SpaceX is in a total stock market fund?
Very little. Vanguard’s Sept. 30 file for its Total Stock Market ETF showed about $0.12 of SpaceX per $100 invested.
Can I take Tesla out of my 401(k) fund?
Not inside an index fund, which owns everything in its index. You can only choose among the funds your plan offers. Save Money Quick does not recommend any fund.
Sources
- Mutual Funds and Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) — Investor.gov, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, accessed November 5, 2026
- Beginners’ Guide to Asset Allocation, Diversification, and Rebalancing — Investor.gov, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, accessed November 5, 2026
- State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY): fund page — State Street Global Advisors, top holdings as of November 4, 2026
- Invesco QQQ Trust: fund holdings — Invesco, holdings effective November 4, 2026
- Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI): portfolio holdings — Vanguard, holdings as of September 30, 2026
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO): portfolio holdings — Vanguard, holdings as of September 30, 2026
- SpaceX joins the Nasdaq-100. Here is what to know — CNN, July 7, 2026
- Should you be worried about SpaceX being in your 401(k)? — Marketplace, July 7, 2026
- SpaceX IPO: how index funds are adapting — Morningstar, 2026
This article is general consumer information, not financial or investment advice. Save Money Quick does not recommend buying or selling any fund or security; check your own plan’s documents or a licensed adviser. Figures are as reported by the sources cited on the dates shown and can change.
