If you haven’t guessed, the free money for retirement I’m referring to was an employer match on 401(k) contributions. In this case, part of the money I received also included a type of profit-sharing into our 401(k) which I’ll talk about momentarily.

Here was the breakdown on my statement ending on March 31, 2019:

Given that the timing of taxes is the most important thing when deciding between a traditional 401(k) and a Roth 401(k), we can reduce this problem down to answering a single question:

All else equal, if you think your income taxes will be higher now, then contribute to a traditional 401(k), otherwise contribute to a Roth 401(k). 

What you do everyday is more important than what you do intermittently. Working out once or twice isn’t going to give you a rocking bod, not matter how hard you try. Eating one healthy meal doesn’t negate all the junk food you consume regularly.