Retirement Strategy

401(k) match maximizer, compound growth, and loan vs withdrawal analysis.

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Retirement, in plain English

A 401(k) is a retirement account through your job. Many employers match a portion of what you contribute — that's free money. An IRA is the same idea but you open it yourself. Money inside these accounts grows without being taxed every year, so it compounds faster than a regular savings account.

401(k) match maximizer

Free money check — make sure you're capturing the full employer match.

Income type

Annual salary ($)

Pay frequency

Your contribution (%)of each bi-weekly check

Roth split — 0% Roth / 100% pre-taxSlide to set how much of your contribution is Roth (after-tax)

Employer match formula

Most employers match a fraction of every dollar you contribute, capped at a small % of your paycheck.
Example: "$0.25 per $1, up to 1% of paycheck" → contribute 4% to capture the full match.

Match ratio ($ per $1)0.25 = 25¢ per $1

Cap (% of paycheck)max employer match

Plain English: 25% match on the first 4.00% of your paycheck you contribute.

Gross income

$75,000/yr

~$2,885/2wk

Your contribution

$4,500/yr

$173/2wk

Pre-tax portion

$4,500

Lowers taxable income now

Roth portion

Tax-free in retirement

Employer match

$750/yr

$29/2wk • free money

Total going in

$5,250/yr

Left on table

$0/yr

You're maxing the match — nice

Sweet spot

4.00%

contribution % to fully capture cap

Compound growth simulator

See what consistent investing becomes over time.

Starting balance ($)

Monthly contribution ($)

Years to invest

Avg annual return (%)S&P 500 historical ~10%

Value in 30 years

$691,150

You contributed

$190,000

Growth

$501,150

264% return

401(k) loan vs withdrawal

Compare the real long-term cost of each option.

Amount needed ($)

Years until retirement

Your age

Assumed market return (%)

Tax bracket helper

Not sure what tax bracket you're in? Pick your filing status and enter your taxable income — we'll estimate your marginal federal rate for you (2024 brackets).

Filing status

Taxable income ($)roughly your gross minus 401(k) & standard deduction

Estimated marginal federal rate: 22% (Single)

Withdrawal

$13,600

You lose $6,400 to taxes + 10% early penalty.
Future opportunity cost: $57,394

401(k) loan (5yr @ ~5%)

~$5,000 interest

Interest paid back to yourself, but missed market growth still applies if not repaid on schedule.

Rule of thumb: a loan is almost always cheaper than a withdrawal — and a HELOC or emergency fund is usually cheaper than either.