Why do people contribute so much to 401k & IRA

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Jan 2, 2020 22 Comments

I want to understand why do people save so much for retirement like max out 401k and backdoor roth. I dont think you need 6 million to retire at 55 if you already have a house and a car.

I understand the power of conpounding and all. Serious question and want to understand. #401k

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TOP 22 Comments
  • Duh massive tax savings.
    Jan 2, 2020 0
  • Intel
    hkll

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    hkll
    6 million over 40+ years ends up being $100K/year. Easy to imagine spending $30K a year on travel alone in retirement, and another $20-50K on healthcare.
    Jan 2, 2020 4
  • Amazon
    IFOH02

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    IFOH02
    There’s a lot of reasons why as your poll reflects. Saving on taxes is the big one for me for both yearly taxes as well as potentially long term taxes on my investments since I doubt I’ll be making this much money (in this tax bracket) when I’m near retirement age.

    Where else would you put your money if not in tax-advantaged accounts? Real estate? Taxable brokerage account? Spend it?
    Jan 2, 2020 1
    • Google
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      OP
      Yup I was thinking why everyone is saving more than one will ever spend.
      If you plan to pass it on, then there are other tax advantage instruments.
      Jan 2, 2020
  • Employer matching is a missing reason. I get matched on everything up to my maximum contribution to my 401k, so putting in any less means lowering my compensation. Even if I have to pay penalties for withdrawing it I end up ahead.
    Jan 2, 2020 1
    • Google
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      OP
      Ok, actually my question was more towards why max out both 401k and after-tax as well.
      But I realized now that just maxing 401k for 30 years would be around 1.8 million, which may not be enough for some.
      Jan 2, 2020
  • $6MM isn’t enough to retire on at 55 and lead the lifestyle to which I want to become accustomed.

    Boats and airplanes get expensive fast.
    Jan 2, 2020 3
    • Why do you care about boats and airplanes (luxury flights, yachts etc I assume)?
      I mean regular flight tickets or occasional cruises aren’t all that expensive.
      Jan 2, 2020
    • You assume wrong and are missing the point. People can have other ideas for retirement than you. Telling people what they need based on one’s own limited worldview is myopic.
      Jan 3, 2020