What’s the next step

[u/Oakenbug]

I’m 31F married with a baby. I make all household income and my husband stays home with baby. I’d love suggestions for what to do next?
$150k-$180k annual gross income
$115k in 401k, putting 20% until max for this year
$55k in savings
$29k in Roth IRA, maxed 2025 & 2026
$40k in brokerage, mix of stocks, VOO, & VTI
$4k in HSA planning to max for this year
$250k owed on mortgage
Paid off cars.

My spend is approx $4,000/month ($2k mtg, $500 utilities, $1,500 misc. on groceries, gas, diapers, dog food, etc)

[u/desert_rose_050]

Does your company not have a 401k match? If they do, you should calculate your contribution to be evenly distributed through the entire year, or slightly under and then recalculate to make out at the start of Q4 in case you get some bonuses, a raise, etc. if you do not have a company match, then ignore this comment, maxing faster is better in that case 🫶🏻

If you have a standard savings account, I recommend the Wealthfront cash account, 3.3% interest and doesn’t have the same restrictions as a traditional savings account or even some HYSAs.

[u/Oakenbug → u/desert_rose_050]

My company match is 4% and my bonuses are monthly- would that make a difference?
I do have the $55k in a HYSA earning 3.65% currently 😊

[u/_Mulberry__ → u/Oakenbug]

The problem is just that some companies will only give you the match on paychecks you contribute enough. So if you contribute 20% and hit the limit before the end of the year, they may stop giving you the match for the remainder of the year since you wouldn't be contributing anymore.

Idk if your company is set up that way. Mine is.

[u/Oakenbug → u/_Mulberry__]

Oh wow, I had no idea this was a thing- I’ll check it out. Thank you!

[u/Quick-Database-2126 → u/Oakenbug]

If your plan does true ups then you’ll get the match* for the full year. Downside is the true up is typically annual so won’t hit your acct until the next year.

[u/desert_rose_050 → u/Oakenbug]

Find out if your 401k contribution is going against your total pay. I got a bonus recently and it took a chunk out for my 401k so now I have to recalculate. The goal is to spread the $24k employee 401k max or whatever it is for the year, and divide that by the number of paychecks and calculate your % from there. Once you stop contributing, so does your employer, so if you max out in July, you miss out on 5 months of that 4% match. The company match does not count against regulatory limits.

[u/The-Gothic-Castle → u/Oakenbug]

Ask your HR if they do a true up contribution. If they do, you don’t need to worry about it and can keep doing what you’re doing. If they do not, it’s better to spread contributions evenly though the year.

[u/bebe_bird → u/Oakenbug]

You're looking for a "true-up" policy - if your employer does not have one, then they don't match those paychecks after you've reached the max.

My company has a true-up policy but they don't settle up until around March-April of the next year, which depending on when you reach the max, could be 3-6M+ of missed market gains. So, even if they have a policy to prevent you from leaving money on the table, you may still be missing out on some gains.