401ks are great. I started maxing out my 401k account 25 years ago, back when I was only 22 and making $30,000 / year. At the time, financially it was a littl

401ks are great. I started maxing out my 401k account 25 years ago, back when I was only 22 and making $30,000 / year. At the time, financially it was a little rough. My wife wasn't working, and I had a ton of debt from school. But, I figured it would be easier to do it then, while I was able and we didn't have kids. I doubled down on compound interest and the future growth of the global economy. I invested it all in S&P 500. There were several significant down turns. But, eventually the investments started working for me instead of being a sink. Now, on average, I gain about double my salary in investment returns, per year. So, I totally recommend 401ks highly for people under 25. However, there are certainly sketchy companies out there offering plans. So, it's wise to compare a fund's fees and expense ratios to ones like Vanguard admiral funds. Also, I do understand that the major benefits of 401ks go to those in higher tax brackets, but still - it's a solid way to automatically pay one's future self first.