Howdy, I am Class of 21 and I graduate in December. I have a good job lined up after graduation, and I am looking at the future as reality is setting in. If anyone wouldn't mind giving some advice or help based on experience or expertise it would be very appreciated! BTHO Arkansas

Max out 401k to get full company match, then invest in tax advantaged accounts.

Live as cheaply as possible now. Everything you save and invest multiplies over time.

Save first. Commit to 20%-25% of income. More if you can. Pay bills and what not after that.

I would wait for the housing market to tank from current levels before buying. Rent for awhile.

Don't buy a new vehicle unless you will keep it forever. Most new vehicle purchases only make sense if you keep the vehicle beyond 200k miles. By a cheap and reliable used vehicle if you need one.

Don't shy away from a side hustle if you have the time. That extra money can help you retire earlier.

- Live it up and enjoy your freedom; you can't purchase back your freedom with retirement savings.
- Do not fall into temptation to 'make your first adult purchase' and buy a new vehicle.
- Avoid debt and payoff credit cards monthly.
- Take full advantage of employer 401k match.

Invest into company 401K up to the match
Max out Roth IRA ($6K)
Build up emergency savings in cash (6-9 months of living expenses)
Max out 401K ($19,500 - I think going up to $20,500 next year)
Max out HSA if you have one
Remainder can go into taxable accounts
Save up for down payment on a house
Don't buy a new car!

Live at home or get a roommate
Learn to cook, grilling is easy
Pack your lunch

I'd alter it a bit. I'd also add that the important part is to budget. You should be able to spend some and have fun - you never get your 20's back. However if you budget and save some now you will on your way to financial freedom. Other words of advice are drive a decent car, but don't waste too much money here. Cars are a place I see people who complain about not having money wasting the money they do earn. Don't be house poor, and that includes apartments. Build/protect your credit. Your late 20's to 30's is when you really need it most. Don't date strippers any longer than 3 consecutive days . Don't feel compelled to keep up with the Jones not feel pressured into saving it investing in anything you don't want to.

GMM said:

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1. Invest into company 401K up to the match
2. Max out HSA if you have one. Don't spend that money if you can help it - save it for medical expenses when you're older.
3. Build up emergency savings in cash (3-6 months of living expenses)
4. Max out Roth IRA ($6K)
5. Max out 401K ($19,500 - I think going up to $20,500 next year)
6. Remainder can go into taxable accounts

Save up for down payment on a house
Don't buy a new car!

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Make a lot of cash. That's it. Do that, and the budget won't matter

Seriously though, save, but also enjoy life. You can't take it with you. 401k to the max will set you up very nicely. See if yours offer back door Roth option too.

I second make your lunch. Figure out how to cook or prep as many meals as makes sense for your life. My wife and I bonded over the challenge of cooking, prepping, freezing, and saving up. One of our favorite investments is our deep freeze. Few hundred bucks has saved us thousands a year.

Now when I first started out I was traveling a lot for work and wasn't married yet... I barely prepped any meals. So my other advice is if you're traveling, try out a few kinds of hotels and airlines and car rental companies and then stick with one as much as you can. And sign up for the loyalty programs for anything you use a lot. Maybe even look for credit cards that reward in those too, or do other things to max out points. Free first class flights are cool.

Reading List:

Personal finance:
- The Richest Man In Babylon

And for self guided investing:
- One Up On Wall Street

Make your first home purchase some kind of house hack. I prefer 2-4 units in a popular area for tourism that will make great short term rentals. If not that, buy a 3/2 in a blue collar neighborhood than needs updating and slowly fix it up while you live there. Once it's complete and you've enjoyed it for a bit, find another one and keep that property as a rental.

Tomas gave you the best advice in terms of priority of savings, my only alteration is if buying a home is important to you it's not the end of the world if you do not max out your 401k to the annual limit. Also, 3-6 months of emergency funds is not 3-6 months of income - just expenses. I never really actively saved an emergency fund as I had good credit and knew my job was in demand if I found myself without a job unexpectedly.

I would highly recommend that you budget a bit. I was an oversaver and while I'm now 15 years removed from college I did pass on some things I wish I had not like a couple trips I was "cheap" and didn't go. That $10k (across several trips) or so seemed like a lot in my 20's but it wasn't. Skip the weddings of college "acquaintances" the first few years out of school, lots of money spent on weekend trips in lame towns for people I haven't seen in a decade. If you must go bunk up with someone else to save money, carpool, etc.

Do not go buy a new car, will make it very hard to get ahead.

Best wishes and congrats on trying to set some goals early on.

Get a good credit card that gives cash back, don't screw around with airline miles or any card with an annual fee. Citi has one that pays 2%. Put everything on that and pay it off in full each month.

Renting when you're young is much much better that owning a home unless you are certain of the location you will be in for a long time. I've crunched the numbers a lot and renting is not a bad financial decision. Anyone who says you're throwing your money away on rent, is quite possibly wrong and I doubt they have any numbers to back up their point.

Some good advice here already.

I'd invest in post tax/Roth options for 401K if possible.
If your company offers an HSA option, take it and max out that contribution. Make sure it's invested in the market.

At a high level, save as much as you can. But still have some fun along the way. Put your savings into a good mutual fund that has strong 5-10 year performance and leave it alone. So with your first paycheck, if not already done, open an account at fidelity.

Before you go too far with a "side hustle" ask if you'd be better off spending that time and effort into getting ahead at your current job.

For me, no luxury product or really nice car or great vacation ever exceeds that joy and satisfaction that comes when you have enough money in the bank that you can tell a crappy boss/job that you quit if you need to. When you don't have any fear of becoming unemployed, life and your career perspective is different. Try to get there ASAP.

Op I'm closer to your age then most of these guys. They have good info but I'm gonna lay down some advice ….

Find a job that you can grow into, whatever your degree is in you need experience right now

Enroll in your companies retirement plan and IF you can max out your contribution limits

Establish 3/6 months of emergency savings. Once you're done with that then push it to a year, 2 years Etc… until you feel comfortable

Open up a Roth IRA, max it out at every year. If you do this from the day you start working to when you retire you will easily have $1M saved up

If you can't afford to buy a house don't buy one. If you have a good relationship with your parents I would suggest asking to move in with them. I did that for a year and a half and saved nearly $15k just by not paying rent on an apartment. To those that say you need to grow up and move out, ignore them.

Establish a budget, I try to save 65% of my take home pay and use the rest on whatever I want or need.

Credit Cards, if you don't know how to properly use them, STAY AWAY. start with a debit card or maybe a secured credit card. Learn to be responsible with them. I have about $45k in credit, that doesn't mean I should go spend $45k.

Save up for trips or bug purchases, it will teach you discipline and when you want to splurge you won't feel guilty because you have money put aside for those purchases.

Enjoy your youth right now. I'm 25, it feels like yesterday I turned 21 and hasnt slow down at all.

Get off social media, comparison is the thief of joy, IMO nothing good from a social media.

Feel free to message if you want any other advice

I don't have much to add except have some fun.

You only get to be in your 20s once and they are gone faster than you can imagine. My wife and I are mid 30s and spent a lot of our expendable money pre kids traveling and going on trips with friends.

The memories made during that time can never be replicated as everyone in our friend group has kids now which is great but just different.

Figure out what is important to you and save towards those goals but do not forget to have a little fun and make some memories.

Oh and someone above mentioned reading the book the richest man in Babylon. That book changed my perspective on money and I am glad I read it before I got out of college.

You can set up your future and still enjoy your money while young. Don't fret over saving every single dime you make but don't buy a 50,000 dollar truck you can't afford either.

KillerAg21 said:

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Howdy, I am Class of 21 and I graduate in December. I have a good job lined up after graduation, and I am looking at the future as reality is setting in. If anyone wouldn't mind giving some advice or help based on experience or expertise it would be very appreciated! BTHO Arkansas

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Max out 401K match, whatever % match you're getting the stock market will never be that good year after year, not even close.






It's not easy when you're younger living paycheck to paycheck but you can always stop putting money into your 401K for a month or two till ya got money for new tires or whatever it is...then start contributing again


Better yet, live according to your means and have a savings account for whenever you need new tires


Debt is a curse but a choice. Buy a good car, like a toyota..drive it for a decade or more.

I kept my last truck for 14 years and had about 11 years without a car loan. That's aot of extra money each month to do something smart with

Lots of good advice above. I would add that you need to be nimble in the early stages of your career. If your job is in high demand, keep the resume updated and go to the highest bidder, don't be afraid to hop a couple times in your first 5 or 10 years. Don't be afraid to take a job that requires travel. If you get a level of experience that makes you eligible for the next step up in your field and your current employer won't give it to you, find one who will. I screwed up by saddling myself with a nasty noncompete and spending the first 5 years of my career woefully underpaid in one of the hottest markets my field has ever had. What you make now trickles down your entire life's income, as most raises are based on % of current salary. Don't let piddly stuff like unvested 401k match keep you from taking a job that pays 15% more. Oh and when you do hop make sure your hit the ground running it at the new gig because when things go south is usually last in first out, unless you have distinguished yourself

Watch this

In your 20's you absolutely have to avoid debt as best as possible. Slightly related, but try to avoid long-term apartment leases. It would be better to rent a room from a friend or even a room off facebook marketplace. These years are full off opportunity to quickly advance your career and you need to be as agile and nimble as possible.

Learn to be resourceful. Attempt to service your own vehicle. DIY your taxes while they're simple. Build your own dining table instead of spending $2k on one, Learn to actually cook a good meal.. and learn to cook an everyday meal.

Remember first and foremost that we essentially use money as an easy way to trade our time. Your employer, or customers if you are self employed, trade you money for your time. So when you spend money you are spending your time/life for things.

Make sure you are happy what you are spending your money on, and not doing it only because it's what makes someone else happy. It's your life and you only get one.

Being frugal and living on a budget doesn't mean you need to be "cheap". It means you are intentional about what you spend your money on. It's fine to spend $10k on a vacation, a car, a fancy custom computer, camera equipment, going out to bars, Aggie season tickets, etc. the problem is trying to spend $10k on each and every one at once. Above all be intentional with your spending.

As you progress in your career, avoid the temptation of lifestyle inflation. If you can save even more and only slightly increase spending, you'll be decades ahead of your peer group in savings.

It's not hard to become a millionaire in your 30s if you are intentional with your money. There will be good times and bad times, keep investing. Make sure whatever you do invest in, you at least understand the basics. I've known guys who buy cattle, trade currency, and own their own business. I don't know those things like they do so I avoid investing in them. While I'm not an expert in stocks I do understand the overall market and that having diversified investments over time and not selling when everyone else panics will eventually work out. Just invest in what you are comfortable with, and avoid anyone trying to push an investment you don't understand.

Career wise, as others said be flexible early on I'm your career. Don't be afraid to stick up for yourself, but don't be the complainer. Good work gets noticed, and if it doesn't you are with the wrong company.

Best of luck in your career.

There's some odd advice on here that doesn't apply to everyone, but this caught me.

Plenty of people have been financially successful without making a dining table and renting a room month to month.

Don't lease the swankiest apartment in uptown Dallas., obviously. Don't go buy $2k worth of carpentry tools to build one table just to realize carpentry isn't your thing.

Everyone else has hit the specifics, so all I'd add is don't stop. Even if things fall apart for a while, or finances get tight, or something comes up - always be contributing something to your future. One of the biggest issues is that when you're young, you feel like you have forever to fix your mistakes, so it is easier to justify completely shutting off contributions to your future, but it will impact your mindset and make for easy outs anytime you hit some adversity, so just keep at it and, even if things get tight and you have to reduce what you can do, keep doing something.

Lots of good general advice, but everyone's a little different. So don't stress too much and try to do it all.

Personally, the best thing I did was consolidating my student loans. My only regret was how long I waited. I covered my school on my own. I had a part time job but still had pretty substantial debt in the form of student loans. I had 5 year, 10 year, 15 year, and 30 year. Once I paid off my 5 year notes (paid them off a little early) I looked into consolidation of the rest. I was able to drop them all into a 5 year loan and the monthly payment went up less than $100. Yes, I lost some of the protections of the federal loans, but being able to pay everything off within a couple years more than made up for that, IMO.

First, don't buy a new car right away. Buy used and save a few hundred dollars a month for a few years first.

My less widely taken approach would be to save up money outside of a retirement account to buy property first. Or at least if it's in a retirement account, make sure you can access it to purchase your first property.

Best investment of my life so far has been my first property, and to buy it I had to liquidate my Roth IRA, and stopped contributing to my 401k for a while. In a Roth IRA, you can withdrawal contributions penalty free.

It was a condo within my budget and I lived there 5 years with a locked in rent while rent and home prices soared. There is a bit of luck involved because the local real estate market has boomed since I purchased and has been accelerated by Covid. The condo has increased 50% in value. I moved across the country for a new job and am renting in my new city, but I am holding my condo and now have tenants occupying it. It's cash flowing more than I could have ever imagined because of insane rent inflation from covid.

I'm not a big fan of retirement accounts because you get penalized for early withdrawals, and based on my analysis they don't offer as much wealth gain as people think. I only contribute to the company match in 401k, and an HSA, and I stopped using a Roth IRA. I've been investing in a regular taxable brokerage after the HSA and 401k match. It will be taxed at lower long term capital gains rate, and it gives me a greater sense of financial well being and investment opportunities than a 401k.

I think going all in on tax advantaged retirement accounts can end up setting you back in ways or costing you more regarding your standard of living than most people estimate. I suggest a balanced approach. Some into tax advanteged accounts, but some into taxable accounts that you can access unrestricted. Saving to buy property early will raise your life long standard of living more than a big 401k balance.

First of all, you're going to be fine. If you're thinking this way now, your instincts and predisposition are working in your favor. So relax. If you're making X today, 20 years from now you're going to be making 10x. But don't rely on that.

Whatever your making or spending, pay yourself first. 401k as much as you can, but no less than what earns you your full employer match potential. What's left over is your income.

Now, this part isn't hard- i can't express this with enough emphasis how important this is, talking lifetime important- but takes a dedicated 15 minutes. Open a brokerage account and set up a secondary direct deposit to it. Pick a number, any number- $20, $500 - and have it go straight there. You now have a widget in place you can modify within 30 seconds. But do it smartly. Next, Figure out what your monthly expenses are, add a little bit; then update your widget to send everything else to the brokerage account.

Now you can live to a monthly zero balance in your checking account. Your savings is on auto pilot. Your bonus goes to savings, your raises go to savings- get it?

Now you need to enjoy your advancements, bonuses, etc. For real, you do. But now it's a conscious decision as to how much you want to roll into lifestyle vs a decision how much to peel out to boost savings.

The early dollars you stash away and invest (what to do w it is another topic) will have more pulling power over your wealth generation phase of life than you can ever imagine.

So let's say your making 60 (no idea what grads make out of school today), you take home 40 post 401k and taxes. You've got 3300 or whatever a month to play with. Funnel 100 to fidelity account per check. Next year you get a $100/check raise, bump the 100 to 150; get a 6k bonus, force yourself to transfer out your treat. The mindless contributions will build wealth and the deliberate withdrawal activity will force you to really consider the value of your potential expenses.

Lastly, don't get cute- total market indexes. There's so much money in the system, and it ends up in the market- just be happy to be in the game and you'll be fine.

This is all good advice. Max out everything tax advantaged, set up a safety fund, take advantage of company matches, etc.

I'll add a couple of things that are probably softer because the hard stuff has been covered pretty well.

1. Track and only care about your pocketbook and financial scorecard. You'll have friends who spend and get the new car, higher end clothing etc. Don't keep up with the Joneses. Just worry about your own thing. Lot of people say they are doing the smart things with money because it sounds good… but a lot of people also aren't really honest about things others can't actually see.

2. Decision making on buying a home should circle around if you can afford to AND will you be there for a good long while, not on the perceived condition of the market at any given time. There's zero shame in renting. I'm 40, have moved around for work a bit and am currently renting a really nice home abroad because of job opportunities and I've owned homes before. If you think you'll have a career that scoots you around some or that's something you really want for while, then don't buy a home.

3. If you want to further your education, do it now but only if you are pretty sure it will pay off long term. Once you have kids and get married (hopefully not in that order), it becomes way harder.

4. Splurging a little at the grocery store is still cheaper and healthier than going out to eat a lot.

5. When you do spend on material stuff (going back to point 1), do it in a meaningful way. I have a career mentor who is 7-8 years older than me. He has what he calls his 10% rule. Every year since he got out of school, he's taken 10% of his bonus and buys a single item that's really really nice, be it a piece of furniture, timeless piece of clothing, shoes, etc. something that he can look at or wear and be proud of or happy with forever so never a car or new technology. These days he applies this rule to big home projects and the like. I wish I had done something like that. Now, he's got like 25 items that he deeply appreciates having (how many people can honestly claim that?) and he says it goes a long way in controlling frivolous spending habits. Also have to say, probably the best dressed person I've known and it's broadly due to this habit.

Lots of good advice in here, I'll just add:
After you have budgeted appropriately, make sure to take a comfortable % of income and begin stacking satoshis on a daily or weekly or monthly auto-buy... or better yet all your company to lay % of your income in bitcoin, get a hardware wallet and start stacking satoshis.

Nothing to add to a lot of great advice from a financial viewpoint (and I am a CFP). However, I would add one thing that I did not see. Learn to be generous early in life. Give some away. That can be difficult for some and it is the absolute antidote to materialism!

Everyone gave great advice here but can be summed up:

Live cheaply. Get a cheap apartment with roommates. Wait to buy a house until later in life.

Buy a cheap used car. Dont over spend on cars. The two biggest expenses in most people's lives (especially those right out of college) are housing and cars.

Live below your means, save and invest as much as you can, as early as you can, as often as you can. Dont overthink investing, stick you money in a low cost S&P 500 fund or total stock market fund. If you do this then you will be in very good shape in your 30's compared to the rest of your peers.

Maximize income. Pick up side hustles. Work overtime. I remember reading once that the average millionaire has 6 different sources of income coming in every month, so that was always my goal. I achieved that in my 20's.

Do expensive things for "free." If you want to travel to Europe then sign up for a travel credit card that offers a sign up bonus and use those miles to pay for the flight. Stay in a hotel using points. If you want to buy a new Iphone then use stock dividends to pay for it or work a side hustle that will make enough to cover it.

But most importantly, dont forget to have fun, live life, travel, date around, go out with friends etc. You are only young once, enjoy it!

I personally wouldn't max out 401k unless you are trying to save on taxes or plan to work until you are 60 years old.

I would max out Roth IRA and HSA since they offer more flexibility compared to 401k. And buy good growth mutual funds. Growth index funds are a good start.

Contribute to match in your 401k.

Left over money invest in things that can generate you passive income in assest like real estate, side gig, stocks outside of retirement accounts.

Keep on learning, read personal finance books, real estate, learn about crypto projects. Always have your money work for you.

I learned everything the hard way and wasted years in the middle because of lack of advice and mentorship.

Here's what I learned.

1. Pay off all your debt. Don't get into the calculation game of "I pay 2% on my loan but make 10% in the market". It's not all numbers, the mental peace is very valuable when your career goes up and down. Pay off high interest loan first and have fewer debt accounts open to start with. Have an early pay off plan for each. I personally am debt free in my late 40s and have been since age 45. House, car all paid off.

2. Max out your 401k. The limit now is $19500 plus possible match so get a spreadsheet and work out the deferral plan. Invest in the S&P index fund in your 401k. I never knew this until 1-2 years ago. A bit late.

3. Invest in the market. Go for index funds that fit your risk profile. Avoid company stocks unless you have a good reason.

4. Stay away from professional money managers if you are DIY, love numbers and prefer to control your own destiny. I never had one and am now comfortable for retirement when it comes.

5. Don't assume that you need to be actively managing your portfolio. Buy the right index funds and let the market do it's magic with time. Track and follow but don't buy/sell actively. Review annual performance, have realistic goals (don't worry about tax since you are not a pro money manager) and project into the future. Contribute to your taxable acc when possible.

6. Move all old 401k money to a single IRA and manage it that way. Too many accounts make cause you to forget. 401k accounts have limited investment choices.

7. Don't buy a new car. Buy a used one that is 3-4 years old and around 10k miles. You get great deals.

8. Your wife/girlfriend may be tempted to keep up with the Joneses and complain that someone has something and you don't. Don't fall for that. Women generally are not good at long term thinking (my observation and experience). I had to keep my wife at bay when she complained that a friend had fancy cars and went on flashy vacations. Until it all came out that it was all through incurring debt. Now she has nothing to say. If you buckle down to your wife/gf on this and you end up poor, then it will all be your fault and your wife will blame you as well. So be a man and don't back down.

9. You are young so it's a good time for financial goals. Create an acc in mint.com and add your accounts and see your net worth. It may shock you. :-) It shocked me - I had $350k total at age 37. That got me motivated and now I am worth several million and my goal is to get to $15M over the next few years. So have a goal and modify as time goes by.

CaptnCarl said:

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There's some odd advice on here that doesn't apply to everyone, but this caught me.

Plenty of people have been financially successful without making a dining table and renting a room month to month.

Don't lease the swankiest apartment in uptown Dallas., obviously. Don't go buy $2k worth of carpentry tools to build one table just to realize carpentry isn't your thing.

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I took this more to suggest getting yourself some life skills and a basic set of tools so you don't get sold a full a/c system for $8k when you just needed a $60 compressor capacitor, or a couple grand in plumbing repairs when an hour of your time and a fernco would be an acceptable fix, or the myriad of ways to get scrood by a mechanic...

Several people here are suggesting not maxing your 401k. This is silly. 401k is a gift by our govt/irs that you need to be taking full advantage of. 20k/yr is not that much money in the grand scheme of things, and you sure won't think so when you're 65 and not sure why you aren't in as good a shape as you thought you'd be. Especially if you are in the habit of making excuses not to save/ invest. If you have debt, max your 401k match and hammer away at that debt. When you have it paid off put whatever you were paying on your student loans toward your 401k contributions. You won't miss it. If you're still not maxing, increase your 401k contributions by the amount of your first raise. Again, you won't miss it. If you get to 55 years old and find that you're ready to retire, your 401k will likely be a minor contributor to your total position. If you think you are ready to retire at 55, if only you could get to the money stuck in your 401k, then you probably aren't actually ready to retire...

infinity ag said:

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8. Your wife/girlfriend may be tempted to keep up with the Joneses and complain that someone has something and you don't. Don't fall for that. Women generally are not good at long term thinking (my observation and experience). I had to keep my wife at bay when she complained that a friend had fancy cars and went on flashy vacations. Until it all came out that it was all through incurring debt. Now she has nothing to say. If you buckle down to your wife/gf on this and you end up poor, then it will all be your fault and your wife will blame you as well. So be a man and don't back down.

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Lmao. This is good advice in general but absolutely idiotic to put a disclaimer in there towards women. I probably know more men in this boat. Just think of your personal friends or peruse this site and look at all the guys $500 coolers, $70k trucks, boats on 10 year loans, 5+ figure country club memberships, the list goes on

htxag09 said:

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infinity ag said:

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8. Your wife/girlfriend may be tempted to keep up with the Joneses and complain that someone has something and you don't. Don't fall for that. Women generally are not good at long term thinking (my observation and experience). I had to keep my wife at bay when she complained that a friend had fancy cars and went on flashy vacations. Until it all came out that it was all through incurring debt. Now she has nothing to say. If you buckle down to your wife/gf on this and you end up poor, then it will all be your fault and your wife will blame you as well. So be a man and don't back down.

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Lmao. This is good advice in general but absolutely idiotic to put a disclaimer in there towards women. I probably know more men in this boat. Just think of your personal friends or peruse this site and look at all the guys $500 coolers, $70k trucks, boats on 10 year loans, 5+ figure country club memberships, the list goes on

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Like I said, it is my personal experience. I've made it in bold in case you missed it.
If your experience is with idiot men who spend on a 70k truck, mine has been with myopic women (my wife, my friends wives etc) who are constantly trying to keep up. I have no friends who do the things you say above.

Yea.. some of us are trying to retire(not work for the man) around 35-40 years old. Everyone's goal is different.

NRD09 said:

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Several people here are suggesting not maxing your 401k. This is silly. 401k is a gift by our govt/irs that you need to be taking full advantage of. 20k/yr is not that much money in the grand scheme of things, and you sure won't think so when you're 65 and not sure why you aren't in as good a shape as you thought you'd be. Especially if you are in the habit of making excuses not to save/ invest. If you have debt, max your 401k match and hammer away at that debt. When you have it paid off put whatever you were paying on your student loans toward your 401k contributions. You won't miss it. If you're still not maxing, increase your 401k contributions by the amount of your first raise. Again, you won't miss it. If you get to 55 years old and find that you're ready to retire, your 401k will likely be a minor contributor to your total position. If you think you are ready to retire at 55, if only you could get to the money stuck in your 401k, then you probably aren't actually ready to retire...

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Yes, it's always best to maximize 401k if one can spare the money. Current limit is 19.5k. I was not aware of this limit or any guideline around it so just blindly did 10% for all these years. Last 3 years when I found out, I have been maximizing both deferral to come to 19.5k and also company match. I get free money and also 19.5k is saved from taxation for the year. When I leave the company the money goes into my IRA and grows there.

Good plan above.

I plan on working till max 60 years of age which is about a decade away but I am on track. One needs to plan as early as possible.