When I was young and dumb and full of …. enthusiasm

A wise and well healed financially, professor taught me a minor concept …. Your IRA 401k 403b 457 S E P Simple IRA were SACROSANCT storage locations for wealth accumulation. I find that so many super well paid employees with huge regular NON TAX DEFERED accounts seldom put maximum into their TAX DEFERED INVESTMENT. For 2024 the max is 23000 for UTES and for SEASONED Citizens it 30000 for 401k 403b 457 And when they transplant here at often the highest tax confiscation in their life they take a huge amount from their TAX DEFERED INVESTMENT to purchase their home or make a large down payment ….. this tax fleecing is similar to a root canal procedure only without anesthesia. Most people do this (sadly it s often those neighbors who identify as male) When I have attempted to dissuade them to follow a parallel course they share with me that as a Male gender person they know all about money and how to handle it…. I always wonder where my natural masculinity fell short as I have to spend countless hours on webinars for what minuscule knowledge I have acquired. So I can seldom comprehend …must be some defect in my college curriculum how folks are better off paying 22 to 35% in tax to avoid paying one of them there 3 to 7% mortgages. And of course it must be an irreparable sin to ever touch your regular taxed each year investments that when you earned the money to put in you first lost 27% to tax and then took the rest to one those brilliant FPs to invest in your behalf….when you take from these investments the tax is form 0 to 24% (above 250000 of gains.) Now that I have read how to win friends and influence people I have learned to never argue or give unwanted advice instead allow others to be wrong. So as there are so many well educated friends in the area perhaps you can join in with some enlightening assistance to my quandary.