Get the full 401(k) match, then raise it automatically
Goal: get every dollar of employer match, and grow your savings rate without thinking about it. Time: about 30 minutes, once a year. Tools: your 401(k)/benefits portal and any AI assistant.
Not financial advice. Plan rules differ; your plan documents are the final word.
Step 1: Find your match formula (10 min)
In your benefits portal or Summary Plan Description, find:
- The match formula (for example "100% of the first 3%, 50% of the next 2%")
- Vesting (when the match becomes yours)
- Whether there's a true-up (matters if you front-load contributions or max out early)
Step 2: Run the match check (5 min)
Paste those details into our 401(k) match check prompt. It gives you the minimum contribution % for the full match and the dollars you'd miss below it. Check the math yourself; it's simple multiplication.
Step 3: Set your contribution (5 min)
Set your contribution to at least the full-match %. Check whether contributions are pre-tax, Roth, or both, and pick on purpose.
Step 4: Turn on automatic increases (5 min)
Many plans offer an auto-increase (sometimes called auto-escalation) feature: your contribution goes up by, say, 1 percentage point every year on a date you pick. If your plan has it, set it to land just after your usual raise date so your take-home pay doesn't drop.
Step 5: Check your investments (5 min)
Make sure contributions are going into the investment you chose, not a default cash or money-market option you didn't pick.
Yearly checkup
Each January, or when your pay changes, run the match check again and confirm the auto-increase is still on.
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