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SpiritualQuokka t1_iy7ifqa wrote

I think you're vastly over-estimating how much impact the small number of people who max their IRAs on January 1st have compared to investors overall. Consider that many, if not most IRA users do not max them on January 1st and that the people with the most to invest put way more than $6k into the stock market annually, and again, usually monthly, not all on January 1st.

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whisky_in_your_water t1_iy8a6sf wrote

Yup, I do it monthly (will probably change to biweekly next year) so my budget is consistent month to month. If I invested everything on Jan 1, that means I either had $6.5k sitting in cash (not great) or I'm raiding my e-fund (not an emergency). In my case, it's double since my wife and I both max our IRAs.

I try to keep my cash amount as low as I can, so I have automatic investments to each of my accounts. I try to keep my HSA, 401k, IRA, and taxable brokerage investments consistent month to month so I don't need to think about it. If I use my e-fund, I just pause or reduce those automatic investments until it's refilled.

I find the less I think about it, the better off I am.

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