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Like I said, for the matching funds. I wouldn’t put a penny in there if I wasn’t getting 30% profit right out the gate. I already have the rest of the money, so why would I put it into a 401K if I just wanted my own money? I want more of someone else’s money :)

OK .. you weren't the FreepeR i addressed, but the question remains ... what do you want a lot of money FOR ?

I see only two avenues ... use money systematically (pay bills, buy off gov't agents, buy food, gas, etc.) for X amount of years until you die (after retirement),

purchase what you will need/want at whatever time in your life you choose to "quit" and live from what you invested in.

FreepeRs all OVER the place here own land and home and guns and generators and root cellars and ...

We can survive and live on the investment we used money for .. in the past .. to purchase.So the SHTF and one has a million dollars .. in NYC

And another has 3 or 4 .. or 10 ... or 100 ... acres of NM, or Idaho ... or WV ... or (pick a spot), and a trailer bought and paid for, with a garden and a wife that loves to cook and can ...

That's the gist of my question ... what do you want the money FOR ?

It is ALL in the future ... the money of the real estate ... so right now ... what do you want money for ?

Whether an IRA or a 401k, if you have funds that you don’t need for a VERY long time, the trade-off between immediate access to after-tax dollars vs. delayed access to pre-tax dollars is a good one - and regardless of employer matching funds.

When you put pre-tax money in either vehicle, your investment rate of return is based on the whole dollar. A $10,000 pre-tax investment growing 10% in a year gets you a $1,000 return. Of course, you later have to pay tax on the monies you withdrawal, but you’re growing and compounding your return based on the WHOLE pre-tax dollars invested - whether your own, or matched by your employer.

When you invest after tax, that same $1.00 of earnings might only leave you with $0.65 to invest. So, instead of earning 10% on $10,000, you’re earning it on $6,500. You get $650 instead of $1,000, AND you have to pay tax on that return in the year earned. (assuming you realize the gain).

So, yes, you have immediate access to your cash, but there’s less working for you in normal times.