Make Earning Your 401(k) Match a 2026 Resolution — At Any Cost

If you have a job, you (probably) have a 401(k). And if you have an employer worth some heft, they likely offer you a 401(k) match — a benefit that comes in many shapes and sizes, but is often some of the easiest money you can earn.

Even though it’s often considered “free money” (with a small asterisk), many Americans still skip contributing to their retirement plans. For a long list of reasons, people undersave — you could blame rising living costs, getting started late, or the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Those factors are real and understandable. If you’re in the “have” category and you have the means, let 2026 be the year you stop leaving benefits on the table.

Earn the match (no matter what): We’re not asking you to max out your 401(k). In fact, according to Vanguard, only 14% of Americans did so in 2024, contributing the full $23K in employee deferrals. Plenty of people make an admirable dent in that limit, which has increased to $24.5K this year (and even more for those eligible for ‘catch-up contributions’). Simply, we’re encouraging you to review your plan documents, talk to HR if needed, and do the bare minimum to earn the match — effectively giving yourself a raise.

• For example, if your employer matches half of the first 6% you contribute, electing a 6% contribution earns you an additional 3% of your “eligible compensation” deposited in your 401(k).
• If you make the US median salary of ~$62K/yr, that’s an additional $1,860 for depositing $3,720 of your own money — an immediate 50% return from the employer match.

What Do You Mean?

This may sound like low-rent advice for those already maxing out their employer matches, but once you’ve earned it, most 401(k) plans consider it yours. Within reason — assuming your 401(k) isn’t a fee trap or locked behind a stupid vesting schedule dreamed up by demonic HR minds — you can do anything once you’ve earned it.

• The option to withdraw the funds makes it hard to justify skipping the minimum contributions if your plan has standard, relaxed terms — even after accounting for withholding tax.
• Some plans allow loans from your 401(k) if you’d rather leave the money invested — just don’t forget, fees may apply, and you have to pay back interest… to your own account.

If you wanna be dumb with money, go for it: We’d obviously recommend keeping the money in your 401(k), where it can grow with tax advantages, but it’s 2026, and nobody’s going to know what you do with it — certainly not us. It’s money with your name on it; find out what it is you can earn and budget for it. At a minimum, it’s a small contribution, but one that could provide a huge boost to your financial well-being.