401K Question...

[Halfcan]

Originally Posted by jspchief

That's ridiculous. You must be in the worst 401k program in the universe if you're paying so many fees that the match is negated. 100% match of 5% is a lot of free money before the money even gets put to work through investments.

401ks are great investments for the average Joe. For starters, your contribution gets taken before you ever see the check, eliminating the discipline hurdle that most people can't get over. Second, most are run through comapnies that are experts at picking funds, eliminating the stock market ignorance that the average person faces.

As for real estate, sure it's a great investment if you have a pile of cash sitting around. But taking $50 per week from your paycheck is going to take a hella long time to get enough to invest in real estate. Time that your money could have spent earning more.

Telling a young person that doesn't even understand a 401k to invest in real estate instead might be the worst advice ever given on this website.

Telling a young person to buy their own home instead of rent is bad advice??

So he puts his $50 in a 401k great if that helps him save. But if that same person is paying $700 a month in rent-what is the point? When you figure in inflation and fees-a majority of 401 ks will not outperform RE.

There is something called leverage-you use other peoples money to secure a property, not only do you get a tax break on the interest, you benefit with appreciation. Instead of rent you are paying down a mortgage that will someday be paid off leaving an asset that will continue to increase.

As for a pile of money-hardly-there are Gov Bond programs and financing options galore-with no money down.