401(k) Retirement Planner
Project your 401(k) balance at retirement. Accounts for employee contributions, employer match up to your salary limit, annual salary growth, investment returns, and IRS contribution caps including the age-50 catch-up.
e.g. 50% means employer adds 50¢ for every $1 you put in.
Employer typically matches up to 3-6% of your salary.
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Frequently asked questions
What is an employer 401(k) match?
Employer match is free money — extra contributions your employer adds based on what you contribute. The most common formulas are 'dollar-for-dollar up to 3%' (1:1 match) or '50¢ on the dollar up to 6%' (Safe Harbor). To capture the full match, contribute at least enough to hit the cap; not doing so leaves money on the table. The IRS counts employer match toward the 415(c) total annual additions limit ($70,000 in 2025) but NOT toward your personal $23,500 elective deferral cap.
Should I max out my 401(k)?
Conventional wisdom: contribute at least enough to get the full employer match (always — it's a 50-100% instant return). Beyond that, max the 401(k) before taxable brokerage if you're in a 22%+ federal tax bracket and your plan has reasonable fees (under 0.5% expense ratio). At lower brackets or with high-fee plans (>1%), a Roth IRA or HSA may be a better next dollar. The 401(k) maximum is $23,500 in 2025 (plus $7,500 catch-up if 50+).
What is the 4% rule?
The 4% rule is a retirement-spending heuristic: withdraw 4% of your starting portfolio in year one of retirement, then adjust that dollar amount for inflation each subsequent year. Historical backtests through 2024 suggest this strategy has near-100% survival rate over 30 years for a 60/40 stock/bond portfolio. The 4% figure isn't sacred — recent research (Bengen 2020) raises it to 4.5-5% for some scenarios; Wade Pfau's safe-withdrawal-rate work lowers it to 3.0-3.5% in low-yield environments. Use it as a starting reference, not a rigid rule.
Roth vs Traditional 401(k) — which is better?
Traditional 401(k) gets a tax deduction now, you pay tax on withdrawals in retirement. Roth 401(k) is the reverse — no deduction now, tax-free withdrawals later. Choose Traditional if you expect a lower tax bracket in retirement (typical for high earners); choose Roth if you expect a higher or equal bracket (typical for young workers, doctors-in-training, anyone in a low bracket today). Employer match always goes into Traditional regardless of which you pick. Many savers split — half each — as a hedge against future tax-rate uncertainty.