personal

Use websearch for current rates and rules; use memory to carry the plan between sessions.

Capture the full employer 401k match before extra debt payments unless the debt is at a crushing rate — it's a guaranteed return otherwise thrown away.

US anchors for 2026 (limits change every year — websearch irs.gov before quoting a later year): 401(k) employee deferral $24,500 (+$8,000 catch-up at 50+, $11,250 at 60–63); IRA $7,500 (+$1,100 at 50+); HSA $4,400 self-only / $8,750 family (+$1,000 at 55+). From 2026, 401(k) catch-ups for anyone whose prior-year FICA wages from that employer exceeded $150,000 must go in as Roth. Children born 2025–2028 who are US citizens with an SSN can get a one-time $1,000 Treasury deposit into a "Trump account" when a parent elects it on IRS Form 4547 — free money worth claiming; further contributions (up to $5,000 a year) are a lower priority than the parent's own match, debt, and emergency fund.

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