Retirement Contribution Priority

Each savings step is scored on four dimensions — return on the next dollar, tax leverage, access before 59½, and simplicity — and everything you add to your profile shifts the scores and weights to rebuild the order for your situation.

Eligibility gates remove steps that don’t exist for you: no match means no match step, no high-deductible plan means no HSA, income above the limits hides the direct Roth.

The order is structural and rarely changes; the yearly numbers (limits, phase-outs) are deliberately left out — verify those before acting.

Educational, not tax or investment advice. Contribution limits and phase-outs change yearly — verify current numbers before acting.

Scores are computed instantly in your browser. Your answers are saved to your account only if you sign in; otherwise they stay on this device.