Retirement: the accounts, the match and the arithmetic

Intermediate · 47 min · 6 lessons

The one benefit worth more than any investment decision, the account types and their limits, the Roth-vs-traditional question, and what to do with an old 401(k).

1. 1

   The Employer Match

   An immediate, guaranteed return on your own money

   A dollar-for-dollar match doubles your money the day it lands. No stock, no savings account and no side hustle comes close. Yet many people leave part of it unclaimed, often because auto-enrollment quietly started them below the full-match rate.

   Intermediate · 8 min

2. 2

   The Account Types

   An alphabet soup of accounts, used in one sensible order

   The alphabet soup hides a simple truth: there are only a few kinds of account, and you are allowed to use several at once. Knowing which ones you can open is what turns "I should save for retirement" into a clear next step.

   Intermediate · 8 min

3. 3

   Roth vs. Traditional

   Pay tax now, or pay it later

   People agonize over Roth versus traditional for months, and some never contribute at all while they decide. Yet it boils down to one question about tax rates, and five minutes of understanding settles it.

   Intermediate · 8 min

4. 4

   Starting Late

   What is still possible at 45

   The compounding lesson can read as a verdict on anyone past 35. It is not. Catch-up contributions, a higher savings rate and a later retirement date all still work — and giving up is the only strategy that certainly fails.

   Advanced · 6 min

5. 5

   What to Do With an Old 401(k)

   Four options, one common mistake

   Most people change jobs many times, and each move leaves an old 401(k) behind. Many HR portals make cashing out a one-click option. That click can turn $20,000 into about $13,600 today — and cost over $200,000 by retirement. A free rollover avoids all of it.

   Intermediate · 8 min

6. 6

   Backdoor and Mega Backdoor Roth

   Pro

   Getting Roth-style growth past the income limits

   Earn too much and the front door to a Roth IRA closes. Two legal side doors stay open: the backdoor Roth, and — if your 401(k) allows it — the much bigger mega backdoor. Done right, they unlock decades of tax-free growth. Done wrong, one overlooked rule turns them into a surprise tax bill.

   Expert · 9 min

Advanced · 32 min · 4 lessons

How much you actually need, what to hold inside the accounts, how Social Security fits in, and how to catch up from a late start.

1. 1

   How Much Is Enough

   The 25x rule and the 4% guideline

   "Am I saving enough?" is a worry that never goes away until you have a number. Two rules of thumb turn it into one — and the number is usually smaller than people fear, once Social Security is counted.

   Advanced · 8 min

2. 2

   What to Hold Inside the Accounts

   A retirement account is a container, not an investment

   Opening a 401(k) or IRA is like buying a suitcase: it matters what you pack. Plenty of people save diligently for years and then discover their money sat in cash the whole time, or in funds charging six times what they needed to.

   Intermediate · 8 min

3. 3

   Social Security, Briefly

   What it is, and the one big decision

   For many retirees, Social Security ends up their largest source of income — and it rises with inflation for life. One decision, *when* to claim, changes your monthly check by up to 77%. Yet many people simply claim at 62 without running a single number.

   Intermediate · 8 min

4. 4

   Starting Late

   What is still possible at 45

   Every compound-interest chart seems to say "you should have started at 22". If you are 45 with little saved, that can feel like a verdict. It is not. The law gives late starters extra contribution room, and the timing levers matter more for you than for anyone. The only plan that certainly fails is not starting.

   Advanced · 8 min