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plowt-kirn t1_ja5zyeh wrote

> Like the title states, I am trying to discern how much money my 401(k) effectively “made” for me last year.

Every 401(k) web site I've ever used shows a personal rate of return, sometimes with the ability to customize the period.

> I have a Roth 401(k) and I contributed the full IRS maximum of $22,500 and I get a 5% employer match. According to my 401(k) it has gone up just under $21k last year which to me seems like it only went up by what I and my employer contributed

The stock market was down last year. This is not surprising.

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Werewolfdad t1_ja5vz47 wrote

Your account should show that information.

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MacAttack0711 t1_ja64wla wrote

I spent hours looking, but I finally found it, surprisingly in plain sight, go figure.

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fromtheitdesk t1_ja5xphe wrote

the market dropped year over year so i would not be surprised if that is accurate, but there should be statements showing you the yearly performance.

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MacAttack0711 t1_ja65098 wrote

I finally found it after more looking around, down 9.5% roughly YoY but up 4.5% YTD from where it left off. I've had this 401(k) nearly five years and I don't feel like it's grown much at all but I will dig into that further.

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fromtheitdesk t1_ja6673a wrote

Think of it like a snowball rolling down a hill... The longer the hill the more snow it'll pick up.

Compare 5 years to the 30 (No idea your age) it should be growing, barely a blip friend.

Good luck!

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wkrick t1_ja6dmak wrote

What do you have it invested in inside the 401k?

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Character_Double_394 t1_ja6h20j wrote

this is what I'm wondering too. give us a break down of the funds and allocations you chose. I've seen some scary choices in 401ks before.

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Rave-Unicorn-Votive t1_ja5xqcb wrote

The limit for 2022 was $20.5k not $22.5k but, aside from that, if you started the 401k last year and invested evenly throughout the year…ending the year even isn't outside the realm of possibility. My 401k had the same value on Friday that it did in Dec '21, with a year of max contributions and another $10k employer contributions.

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MacAttack0711 t1_ja64ud6 wrote

Makes sense for sure, I guess I am doing alright, I just haven't seen much growth over the last 5 years I feel, so it worries me since I forever see 10% YoY as the golden rule for compound growth. Thanks for weighing in!

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Rave-Unicorn-Votive t1_ja65zvo wrote

You should have definitely seen growth before Jan '21. If it was flat or down before that then you should investigate further.

Otherwise, a "fun" (in the dark sense of the word) game I play is to see the first time my 401k passed the current value. I've been running a steady 12-14 months behind for a while. :-/

When the market rebounds though, it's gonna be awesome! lol

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Fodder01 t1_ja61r1s wrote

Based on last years general results breaking even is a win, as your retirement accounts grow your return each year is influenced more by market changes than your and your employers contributions.

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MacAttack0711 t1_ja64q4j wrote

Thanks. I did some more digging and looks like I'm down 9.5% over the last year but have YTD returns of 4.5% roughly. Makes sense I suppose. I'm an immigrant and only in the last few years have I had the financial means to invest much of anything at all, so this is all relatively new to me and I am self taught, so there's things I don't always conceptualize in full. Thanks again.

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Fodder01 t1_ja65gz9 wrote

I have trouble handling market fluctuations as well, my contributions hardly offset losses in down years. If you aren’t close to retirement focus on the additional shares you purchase in a down market. If you are near retirement think of how to move your investments into more stable vehicles.

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