About this episode

The episode discusses how to maximize benefits from a 401(k) and the common mistakes people make.

An alarming number of people have access to a 401(k) and are either not using it, not getting the full employer match, or not making the simple moves that turn a good account into a great one. Joe and OG dedicate a full episode to the retirement account that most people take for granted -- covering contributions, matching, investment selection, Roth versus traditional, and the specific decisions that separate people who retire comfortably from people who almost got there. Plus wins from the Stacker community and trivia that will make you the most dangerous person at your next dinner party. What You'll Walk Away With Why the employer match is the single highest guaranteed return available to any investor -- and the specific contribution level that captures every dollar of it Roth 401(k) versus traditional 401(k): the one question that cuts through all the noise and tells you which one to use right now Why your investment menu feels overwhelming and how to make a great choice in under five minutes using one simple filter The auto-escalation feature most people never turn on -- and why setting it up once can add tens of thousands of dollars to your balance without you doing anything…

People in this episode

Hosts: Joe, OG

Topics covered

• 401(k)
• retirement planning
• employer match
• investment selection
• Roth vs traditional
• auto-escalation
• contribution limits

Keywords

• 401(k)
• employer match
• retirement
• investment choices
• Roth 401(k)
• traditional 401(k)
• auto-escalation
• contribution limits

More episodes of The Stacking Benjamins Show

• Who Should You Trust With Your Money? (Friends, Family, Experts, AI, and Bad Advice) SB1869 · July 17, 2026 · 1h 12m
• What History Tells Us About Crypto, Real Estate, and Every Other Financial "Truth" (with Dr. Joseph Moore) SB1868 · July 15, 2026 · 1h 21m
• Did You Miss the Small Cap Rally? What the First Half of 2026 Taught Every Investor (SB1867) · July 13, 2026 · 60 min
• Can You Save Too Much? Finding the Sweet Spot Between FI, Spending, and Life (SB1866) · July 10, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Scott Galloway's Algebra of Wealth: Build Money, Meaning, and Stop Comparing Yourself to the S&P500 (SB1865) · July 8, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Your Best Money Questions Answered: Emergency Funds, Inherited IRAs, Single-Person Planning, and More (SB1864) · July 6, 2026 · 1h 0m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Stacking Benjamins Show podcast page.