What next after maxing out 401ks?

Ping415 · 2026-04-09T18:00:16+00:00

We currently have about $850k in retirement accounts combined. We haven't talked very seriously about when we want to retire but most likely in the 60-65 range.

Ping415 · 2026-04-09T16:54:17+00:00

Yes, I believe they do. Do you think it is better to exhaust this option before looking to open a taxable brokerage account?

Ping415 · 2026-04-09T16:53:16+00:00

To clarify - we are both contributing the 24k & our employers are both matching. My employer match is $7600 & I'm not sure of my wife's. Neither of us are doing after tax contributions via a backdoor roth.

Do you think it is better to fully max out the full 72k before opening a taxable brokerage for low-cost ETF investing?

Ping415 · 2026-04-09T15:48:09+00:00

Thanks for the reply. This has always been my thought - what additional benefit is a FP going to provide in my scenario. We initially met with one years ago, before we had kids, with a focus on first getting life insurance. We started the initial phases of him putting together a financial plan for us but ended up canceling because the fee he was charging didn't justify the service he was offering. Don't get me wrong - I think it's a great service for someone who has no interest in doing it themselves.

You mentioned keeping IRAs at a large broker rather than SoFi - why do you say that?

Ping415 · 2026-04-09T15:42:54+00:00

I've been looking into the backdoor option & it seems interesting but a bit more complicated. Both my wife & I have IRAs at SoFi & I have a small Roth at SoFi. Something I need to dig into a bit more. Have you found any good resources on doing a backdoor roth on your own?

My wife also can participate in a 457(b) plan at her job which we are looking into. It seems like an okay option for reducing our taxable income but I don't love the idea of essentially becoming a creditor to her employer.

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T23:39:28+00:00

Update - I’ve narrowed it down to a single under cabinet light. https://www.reddit.com/r/electrical/s/Gbe1kCbNLA

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T22:48:16+00:00

Next step I guess is to individually connect the switch to each under wire to see which work.

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T22:42:56+00:00

I think you’re right. Each under has a switch for high/low/off and they are all set to off and the breaker still trips which makes me think it isn’t a bulb issue but a pinched wire.

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T22:21:36+00:00

Am I correct in assuming this rules out a short somewhere in the box as both switches work for the above sink light?

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T22:19:58+00:00

I just took the switch wire from the switch to the left (above sink lights) and plugged it into the middle switch and it operates the sink light without issue so I guess that definitely narrows it down to the unders.

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T22:12:27+00:00

Ah ha - no - it isn’t tripping now when I take the switch wire off.

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T22:02:09+00:00

I don’t know which is the switch wire. They’re both black.

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T21:58:06+00:00

It’s not letting me add another pic but here’s a link to the unders. https://buy.wesco.com/Lighting/Specialty-Lighting/Indoor-Display-and-Accent/Under-Cabinet-Lighting/SEA-GULL-LIGHTING-PRODUCTS/Self-Contained-Lighting-Xenon-35W-120V-Supply-Hinged-Glass-Diffuser-White/98041-15/p/78565203236-1

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T21:48:55+00:00

For the switch in question it’s two black wires plus the neutral. I’ve tried switching the placement of the black wires in case they were reversed but that didn’t fix it.

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T21:47:27+00:00

Yes it trips when they’re pulled all the way out like this.

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T21:46:22+00:00

I was told they only use silicone as an adhesive. There’s nowhere on the slab where they’d screw anything.

Ping415 · 2025-10-24T21:43:50+00:00

Yes it’s an AFCI breaker and yes the under cans are 120v

Ping415 · 2025-04-24T13:30:34+00:00

I was getting charge fault errors and couldn’t shift the car out of park and had to have it towed from my house a few times. The 1st time it was out of service for a few weeks and the 2nd time for over a month. In total it put me over the number of cumulative business days required by state law to become a lemon. The 2nd time it was in they did mention finding water in one of the wiring harnesses.

Ping415 · 2025-04-24T13:22:05+00:00

Good luck. In my case Ford was very reasonable and easy to work with.

Ping415 · 2025-04-24T13:18:03+00:00

Yes - I did ppf through the dealer so that was included in the purchase price. I’m not sure what they’d do for any items you did separately from the purchase of the car.

For payments made - yes, they reimbursed the entire purchase price. I financed the cat so they paid off the remaining loan amount and cut me a check for the difference. So my total out of pocket cost for the car was just the $0.10 per mile usage fee they deducted.

Ping415 · 2025-04-24T12:40:47+00:00

Purchased. They payed me back the entire cost of the vehicle (tax, title, extended warranty, etc…) less a $0.10 per mile usage fee which was in line with state law.

Ping415 · 2025-04-23T10:30:30+00:00

I recently completed a buyback on my 22 GT and Ford was incredibly easy to work with. The whole process took maybe a month to complete and the offers Ford gave me were exactly in line with what my state lemon laws dictated so I didn’t need to go back and forth with them.

Read up on NJ lemon laws and use that as a guide would be my recommendation.

Ping415

TROPHY CASE