Retirement
401(k)s, IRAs, employer matches, Roth vs. traditional, and the advanced moves like backdoor Roths. The accounts that quietly do the heavy lifting for most people's retirement.
About this course
This course is a sequence. Work through the lessons in order; each one builds on the last. You can skip around, but the order is intentional, and the math compounds in the order written.
Lessons in order.
401(k) basics: the workplace retirement account
An employer-sponsored retirement account with tax benefits and, often, free money from your company. The mechanics, in plain English.
Roth IRA vs. Traditional IRA
Two retirement accounts you open yourself, with the same contribution limits but very different tax treatment. The choice depends on your tax rate now versus later.
Roth vs. Traditional, decided in 60 seconds
The Roth vs. Traditional question is asked thousands of times a day on the internet, and answered badly almost every time. The honest answer is shorter than the question, and the framework that produces it fits on a napkin.
How HSAs Actually Work
An HSA is the only account in the tax code that gives you three separate tax breaks at once. If you have a high-deductible health plan and you're not using one, you're paying taxes you don't have to pay.
Social Security: the basics every worker should know
How the program works, when you can claim, and why claiming early is one of the most expensive financial decisions Americans regularly make.
What to do with your 401(k) when you leave a job
Four options, very different consequences. Most people pick wrong by default and pay for it for decades.
Backdoor Roth IRA: when you earn too much
Roth IRAs phase out for high earners. The 'backdoor' is a perfectly legal workaround that high-income earners use every year.
Mega backdoor Roth: the high earner's secret weapon
If your 401(k) plan supports it, you can put potentially $40,000+ extra into a Roth account every year. Most people don't know this exists.
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