Mostly personal finance decisions revolve around budget, debt and retirement spending. Everyone has a different opinion on whether you should be saving money while you still hold consumer debt. I am in the camp that you should definitely be saving for retirement from the minute you enter the work force whether you have student loans and credit card debt or not.
For me the question is how much. This article from CNN Money is a good discussion to help you through that question.
If your employer offers a 401k you absolutely have to contribute up to the point that they match no matter what. Seriously no excuses, every paycheck!!! This is free money and there is no investment in the world that can beat it.
So we all agree that contribute to the match and get the tax advantages at least until you pay of debt. The question actually becomes for difficult after you don't have any debt. You have to figure how much to save for retirement in your 401k and how much to keep in different saving and investment accounts. You don't get the tax advantages in the other accounts but you don't have the penalties if you take the money out before you are 59 and half. It is a nice problem to have to think about.
If you make plenty of money you should contribute the maximum amount to your 401k every year, just for the tax benefits.
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