First advice: max your 401k. That's selfish. That's what Wall Street wants you to do. Reality is whomever manages the funds has only one short-term goal in min

First advice: max your 401k. That's selfish. That's what Wall Street wants you to do. Reality is whomever manages the funds has only one short-term goal in mind: year end bonus. It's very common for traders to move on shortly after bonuses are given out leaving "cooked" books for the next trader to deal with. The plan is always to never get caught holding the short term strategy book. I find the typical trader archetype to be repugnant. There's so much of it that goes against technical-minded people with even the tiniest sense of ethics. If you're financially disciplined you're better off investing elsewhere.