Roth IRA vs 401k: Which to Prioritize in Your 30s
Your thirties are a strange financial crossroads. You probably earn more than you did at twenty-five, but you also face competing demands — maybe a mortgage, possibly kids, almost certainly lifestyle costs that didn’t exist a decade ago. In the middle of all that noise, the retirement question keeps coming up: should you lean harder into your employer’s 401k, or funnel money into a Roth IRA? I’ve spent over a decade studying tax-advantaged accounts, advising peers, and running the numbers on my own portfolio. The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all, but there is a clear framework that works for the vast majority of people in their thirties. It comes down to contribution order, tax bracket positioning, and understanding the actual rules — not the oversimplified advice that dominates social media. ...