re: 401k - Putting in more than the company match pros and cons

There are lots of really smart rich people who are against the 401k. The main reasons are that your money is tied up for so long, you have very few choices on what you're investing in, and you have no idea what your tax burden will be when you retire because the government can change shite at any time.

For me the big one is having money tied up so long. As we're seeing with inflation your money is worth more today than it will be tomorrow. Now if you're just going to let that cash sit in a savings account then you might as well put it in a 401k. But if you're going to do something like start a business or invest in real estate then you may be better off not putting it in the 401k. Keep in mind that by investing in real estate or starting your own business you will be able to take advantage of more tax benefits than what a 401k can offer. If I would have taken the money I put in my 401k over the last 10 years and bought real estate I'd be doing much better right now. But if you're not savvy enough to do that then put it in the 401k.

The other thing is to make sure you're taking advantage of an HSA (if you can) and a roth before you put extra money above the company match % in your 401k