[SamAdams76]

If your employer offers a match on your retirement account (401k), you would be leaving free money on the table by not participating.

I agree that you should also invest money on your own but you should participate in your employer's retirement plan at least up to the amount required to get your maximum match.

[dfwgator]

Also if you are in a higher tax-bracket, the 401K is serious reduction in taxes. Say you are in the 30% bracket and you put away $20,000, that’s a savings of $6,000 in taxes, and compounded over time, that’s a pretty nice chunk of money.

[Alberta's Child]

I agree that you should also invest money on your own but you should participate in your employer's retirement plan at least up to the amount required to get your maximum match.

Very good advice.

Somewhere around the age of 40 I reached a point in my life where I felt a need to scale back on my 401(k) contributions simply because I had other business-related needs and the restrictions on the use of retirement funds became an impediment of sorts. Even then, I always made sure I contributed enough to the company 401(k) plan to get the maximum company match for those contributions.

[zeugma]

If your employer offers a match on your retirement account (401k), you would be leaving free money on the table by not participating.

Indeed. Free money, and potentially a considerable sum of free money even if the feral government is going to eventually steal a lot of it from you at the point of a gun.