Every year on January 1st, I do the same four moves to maximize my investment portfolio and take advantage of tax-saving accounts. I originally shared this on my Instagram stories and got so many questions that I turned it into a full video. I walk through the exact order I think about things: Roth IRA (and what to do if you don’t qualify), HSA contributions (and how I personally use it as an investment vehicle), and then how I aggressively front-load my 401k so I can get my employer match sooner. First, I invest in a Roth IRA—but because I’m in a tax bracket where I don’t qualify, I do a backdoor Roth (and yes, there are tons of resources online to learn this). Second, for 2026 I contribute to my HSA (individual limit: $4,400) and invest it—my employer puts in $2,000 and I add the rest, because the tax benefits are honestly hard to ignore. Third, I set my 401k paycheck contribution to 100% until I hit the 2026 limit ($24,500) so I can unlock my employer’s 50% match faster (about $12k once I max it). Finally, my employer also lets me contribute an extra $46,000 into retirement through an additional option—totally employer-specific and optional, but I’ve used it for the last three years. On top of that, I keep index fund investing automated with monthly contributions.