CALCULATOR
Tax-Advantaged Account Maximizer
There's a correct order to fill your tax buckets. Get it wrong and you're leaving free money - and tax savings - on the table.
Based on 2026 IRS contribution limits. Not financial advice.
Your Situation
Enter 0 if no match
Why This Matters
The waterfall is about one thing: don't leave free money behind. Your employer's 401k match is an instant 50-100% return on whatever you put in. There's no investment that reliably beats that. Start there.
The HSA is the most tax-efficient account most people never use properly. It has a triple tax advantage: pre-tax contributions, tax-free growth, tax-free withdrawals for medical costs. And after 65, you can pull money for anything at normal income tax rates - basically a second Traditional IRA.
After the match and HSA, Roth IRA is next for most people - tax-free growth, forever, no RMDs. Only then does it make sense to go back and fill the 401k to the full limit. Whatever's left after that goes into a taxable brokerage.