Investing & Retirement Articles
Build wealth for the future: understand compound interest, maximize retirement accounts, and develop an investment strategy that works. Contribution limits updated for 2025.
Latest Articles
The Power of Compound Interest: Complete Guide to Wealth Building
Understand how compound interest works and why Einstein called it the 8th wonder of the world. Learn strategies to maximize investment growth over time.
Retirement Planning by Age: How Much You Need at 30, 40, 50, 60
Age-specific retirement planning guide. Discover retirement savings benchmarks, catch-up strategies, and how to ensure you're on track for retirement.
2025 401(k) IRS Limits: $23,500 Deferrals, $70k Cap, SECURE 2.0 Catch-Up Rules
2025 IRS 401(k) limits: $23,500 deferrals, $70k cap, $7,500 catch-up (50+), $11,250 super catch-up (60-63). SECURE 2.0 rules explained.
401(k) Strategy Guide 2025: Paycheck Planning & Savings Rate Optimization
Step-by-step 401(k) strategy: Calculate per-paycheck contributions, capture employer match, choose Roth vs pre-tax.
About Investing & Retirement
Building wealth for retirement requires understanding how money grows over time and making strategic decisions about where to invest. Our investing and retirement guides cover everything from the basics of compound interest to advanced strategies for maximizing your 401(k), IRA, and taxable accounts. Whether you're just starting your investment journey or optimizing an existing portfolio, these articles provide actionable guidance backed by financial principles and current contribution limits for 2025.
What You'll Learn
- 1The power of compound interest and why starting early matters exponentially
- 2401(k) strategies: contribution limits, employer matching, and investment selection
- 3IRA vs Roth IRA: which is better for your tax situation and retirement timeline
- 4Asset allocation by age: balancing risk and growth through your career
- 5Retirement planning milestones: what you should have saved at every age
- 6Tax-efficient investing: placing assets in the right account types
Related Calculators
Put your knowledge into practice with these free tools:
Compound Interest Calculator
See how your money grows over time
401(k) Match Optimizer
Maximize your employer match
Investment Growth Calculator
Model different investment scenarios
Retirement Savings Calculator
Are you on track for retirement?
Emergency Fund Calculator
How much should you save?
FIRE Calculator
Financial independence planning
Quick Tips
- Never leave employer 401(k) match on the table—it's an instant 50-100% return on your contribution
- Increase your 401(k) contribution by 1% each year or whenever you get a raise—you won't miss what you never see
- Index funds beat most actively managed funds over 15+ year periods, with much lower fees
- Don't check your portfolio daily during market downturns—long-term investors who stay the course outperform those who panic sell
- Rebalance annually to maintain your target allocation—sell high (winners) and buy low (underperformers)
- Consider a backdoor Roth IRA if your income exceeds direct Roth contribution limits
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I have saved for retirement by age?
A common guideline: 1x salary by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 8x by 60, and 10x by 67. For a $75K salary, that's $75K at 30, $225K at 40, $450K at 50, and so on. These are rough targets—your actual needs depend on desired retirement lifestyle, Social Security benefits, and other income sources. The key is starting early: $500/month from age 25 grows to $1.4M+ by 65 at 8% returns.
Should I max out my 401(k) or invest elsewhere?
Priority order: 1) Contribute enough to get full employer match (free money), 2) Max out HSA if eligible ($4,300 individual/$8,550 family in 2025), 3) Max Roth IRA ($7,000, or $8,000 if 50+), 4) Return to 401(k) up to limit ($23,000, or $30,500 if 50+), 5) Taxable brokerage for additional savings. Adjust based on your tax situation and retirement timeline.
What's the difference between traditional and Roth accounts?
Traditional 401(k)/IRA: contribute pre-tax (reduces current taxable income), pay taxes on withdrawals in retirement. Roth: contribute after-tax (no current tax break), withdrawals in retirement are completely tax-free. Choose Roth if you expect higher taxes in retirement, traditional if you expect lower. Many advisors recommend having both for tax diversification.
How should I invest my 401(k)?
A simple approach: target-date funds automatically adjust allocation as you age. For DIY: subtract your age from 110-120 for stock percentage (age 30 = 80-90% stocks, 10-20% bonds). Within stocks, diversify between US large-cap, small-cap, and international. Minimize fees—index funds typically outperform expensive actively managed funds over time.
What is compound interest and why does it matter?
Compound interest means earning returns on your returns. $10,000 at 8% becomes $10,800 after year 1, then $11,664 after year 2 (8% of $10,800, not $10,000). Over 40 years, that $10,000 becomes $217,000. This is why starting early is crucial: someone investing $500/month from 25-35 (then stopping) will have MORE at 65 than someone investing $500/month from 35-65, despite investing half as much.