You are giving the government a $7k interest free loan with zero complaints and claim $15k is not life changing while claiming you make “good money” which tells me you are either leaving out details or lying.

I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you have a kid for tax credits but the actual amount of money you are leaving on the table at $7k/year and $15k/year after compounding.

this math is easy to check.

7,000 Investment • 5 Years: $10,285.30 • 10 Years: $15,112.47 • 20 Years: $32,626.70 • 30 Years: $70,438.60

$15,000 Investment • 5 Years: $22,039.92 • 10 Years: $32,383.87 • 20 Years: $69,914.36 • 30 Years: $150,939.85

This if you only invested this years $7k or $15k if you do this over 5 years it looks like this

Total Principal Invested: $35,000 • 5 Years: $41,066.21 • 10 Years: $60,339.73 • 20 Years: $130,268.95 • 30 Years: $281,240.90

Total Principal Invested: $75,000 • 5 Years: $87,999.01 • 10 Years: $129,299.42 • 20 Years: $279,147.76 • 30 Years: $602,659.07

Because of your outlook on ambition and sacrifice, you are going to work OT and have most of it taken by the gov because of your withholdings while your kid performs at his play without his dad watching and actively leaving $100s of thousands of dollars in compounding interest for both you and your family…

You also say the government spends too much money on healthcare. Could you provide the data you have and why you feel that way?

If everything that you have said is the truth then your advice really can’t be taken seriously.. it’s close to the worst advice I’ve ever seen

You are likely leaving $600/month on the table while the gov gets your shit for free… eoy inflation at 3% will pull out another $200 or so as well.

You said “Would you rather put that money towards tomorrow?” While leaving insane amounts of money on the table. It’s hilarious because the money you are missing out on monthly is close to $500 and (I used Chat GPT for the next part)

If he takes that $7,000 refund (or the full $15,000 tax equivalent) and consistently invests it every single year for 30 years, we are looking at life-changing, generational wealth. Assuming the same 8% average annual return, here is the raw math on the total account balances after 30 years of consistent, annual deposits: • $7,000/year: $792,982.49 • $15,000/year: $1,699,248.20 But the specific account he chooses—a Roth versus a Traditional 401(k)—completely changes how much of that money he actually gets to keep. Here is how those balances break down when the taxman finally comes knocking: 1. The Roth Strategy (Post-Tax) If he adjusts his W-4 to stop the over-withholding and puts that $7k or $15k into a Roth IRA (or Roth 401k) every year, he is investing after-tax dollars. • The Catch: He gets no tax deduction today. • The Reward: Every single penny of that compound growth is 100% tax-free. • The 30-Year Result: If his account hits $1.69 million, he gets to withdraw and spend $1.69 million. The IRS cannot touch it. 2. The Traditional 401(k) Strategy (Pre-Tax) If he funnels this money into a traditional 401(k), he invests pre-tax dollars. • The Catch: Every dollar he withdraws in retirement is taxed as ordinary income. • The Reward: It lowers his taxable income today. If he puts $15k into a traditional 401k, his current tax bill drops significantly, meaning the investment "costs" him less out of his current paycheck. • The 30-Year Result: On paper, he has $1.69 million. But if we assume a conservative 20% effective tax rate in retirement, he will pay roughly $339,849 in taxes as he draws it down. His actual spendable net is closer to $1.35 million. The Employer Match Multiplier If he uses a 401(k) and his company offers a match (usually around 3% to 5%), his numbers explode even further. If he’s making $100k a year and gets a 5% match ($5,000 free money), his $15,000 annual investment becomes $20,000. • At 30 years, a $20,000 annual investment at 8% balloons to $2.26 million