Vol. 3 - Free Money

VOLUME 03 — Free Money

The accounts your employer and the tax code are begging you to use · 20 pages · $5

Short version

The employer match, the Roth IRA, and the HSA. The accounts that tilt the field in your favor, what goes inside them, and the order to fill them in.

Full description

The system already contains free money for you. Most people never collect it.

Employer matching that goes unclaimed. Tax breaks built specifically for retirement accounts. An obscure health account that's quietly the most tax-advantaged vehicle in the U.S. tax code. None of it requires you to be rich, clever, or lucky. It requires you to know it exists and fill out a few forms.

What you'll learn:

• Compounding, working for you — why $200/month from 22 to 32 beats $200/month from 32 to 65, and why that decade can't be replaced
• The 401(k) match — an instant 50–100% return, and what skipping it actually costs
• The Roth IRA — tax-free growth, the 2026 limits, and the flexibility that removes the biggest objection to starting
• The HSA — the triple tax advantage nobody under 30 knows about, and the honest caveat about high-deductible plans
• What goes inside — index funds, expense ratios, and why a 1% fee eats $107,000 over a career
• The order of operations — a seven-step ladder for every spare dollar, and why the match jumps ahead of debt payoff

Includes a fillable account tracker, employer match audit, ladder position, and automation checklist.

Read this if: you have a job with benefits you've never read, money sitting in a savings account, or a 401(k) you enrolled in and never looked at again.

For educational purposes only. Not financial or investment advice. Contribution limits change annually — verify current figures at IRS.gov.