401(k) up to the full employer match
Payroll saving that can add employer dollars; the match you earn and keep depends on the plan’s formula, timing, and vesting.
Retirement Contribution Priority
Which savings move fits your next dollar? Compare a suggested order, then size an affordable move and verify the exact rule, account term, and effective date before funding it.
A spare dollar can reduce debt, build a cash cushion, or fund an account for later. This tool helps you compare those jobs before choosing how much to send where.
Learn more about this decision
An account is not an investment — The account sets tax and access rules; the investments inside it determine market exposure. Available investments and fees differ by plan and provider, so choosing an account is only part of the decision.
Keep current needs in the comparison — Employer dollars are worth comparing with debt costs, but a match is not cash for this month’s bills. Required payments and a usable reserve belong in the decision before you commit more money to long-term saving.
Separate now from later — Compare today’s cash commitment and tax effect with later access and taxes. A future tax advantage does not pay today’s bill, and an accessible investment can still lose value before you need it.
What your answers change — Your stated accounts, debts, reserve, tax outlook, goals, and working style change the suggested order. They do not tell us exact balances, an affordable amount, current room, written terms, or whether a payroll or account change took effect; use each card’s exact evidence check before acting.
Your profile
Your accounts
Your situation
How you work
All 10 options. Add anything above to rank them for you.
Pay down highest-cost debt
Extra payments reduce costly balances and future interest; keep minimum payments and a usable cash buffer protected while choosing which debt to tackle.
Build an emergency reserve
Separate cash for a repair, deductible, or income gap, so a surprise need not force new debt or a sale of retirement investments.
Fund an eligible HSA
An account for qualified medical costs now or later, with federal tax advantages when eligible; investing the balance adds risk and recordkeeping.
Roth IRA
After-tax retirement saving with potentially tax-free qualified withdrawals later; there is no contribution deduction today, and eligibility and withdrawal rules still apply.
401(k) beyond the match
More retirement saving through payroll after the match, using your workplace plan’s tax choices and investments; compare its fees and access with other accounts.
Mega-backdoor Roth (after-tax 401(k))
A plan-dependent route to additional Roth saving: after-tax contributions followed by an allowed conversion or rollover, with extra coordination and possible tax costs.
SEP-IRA / Solo 401(k) for side income
Business-linked retirement saving for eligible self-employment earnings; SEP and solo 401(k) plans differ in contribution capacity, employee obligations, and administration.
Taxable brokerage
Investing for overflow savings or an early-access goal without retirement contribution caps; flexible access does not remove market risk, taxes, or fees.
529 for education
Education-focused saving for a beneficiary, with tax benefits tied to qualified uses; compare plan fees and flexibility without crowding out retirement essentials.
How these results work
Next-dollar fit compares four dimensions: return on the next dollar, tax leverage, access before 59½, and simplicity. Your account, debt, reserve, tax-outlook, goal, and working-style answers adjust that suggested order.
Answers can remove unavailable routes, such as a match when you report no match or an HSA when you report no eligible plan. These are profile filters, not verified eligibility or contribution-room calculations.
Use the order to choose what to investigate next. Each card names a competing use, a use-or-defer condition, a compare-then-act sequence, and exact funding evidence; current cash needs, official rules, written terms, the selected amount, and the first statement or confirmation decide whether the move works.
This is a comparison order, not a contribution amount or instruction to move money. Your answers do not verify an affordable amount, eligibility, remaining room, employer-match value, fees, taxes, investment risk, insurance, withdrawal or qualified-use rules, or whether a payroll or account change took effect. Check current household bills and debt, official rules, exact written terms, and the first statement or confirmation before relying on a move.
Scores are computed instantly in your browser. Your answers are saved to your account only if you sign in; otherwise they stay on this device.
Educational only—not tax or investment advice. Next-dollar fit is a suggested comparison order, not a verified contribution plan. Before moving money, verify household cash needs, current eligibility and room, the exact amount, fees, tax treatment, investment risk, insurance, withdrawal rules, and the effective payroll or account posting. Scores are computed in your browser; answers are saved to your account only if you sign in.