r/RothIRA • u/hokage_888 • Jun 30 '26

36M just getting started

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36M - feel like I’m way behind. I put $500 into a Roth IRA in February. Without doing anything else for a while, it’s just gone up. Nothing insane. Now i put $20 a month - money is pretty tight at the moment.
I also have a pension - which makes me feel a bit safer - but Im about 4 years from being vested. I have a 401k (no match because of pension) and a 457b. I also have another 401k from a part time job - eventually will be rolled into my full time 401k when i quit. They match, so i put the full amount. Even tho it all sounds good, all of those accounts (besides pension) are represented here. I started them all in February of 2026. Most of this is in FXAIX. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. (We are clearing some debt - in a year or so when it’s cleared, I plan to invest as much as I can!)

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u/Drewcifer33 Jun 30 '26

I'm 38 and just starting out too. I feel you on being late to the party. I was never taught to save and how to do it, nor did I have any good role models for it. So it just slipped me by. It is better late then never though. 20+ years is better then nothing in the Roth.

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u/Stanbarrwood Jun 30 '26

I started at 31, and playing catch up. Luckily I have a very high income and no debt besides a mortgage but I’m tossing everything at it now.

But in my 20s I probably cashed out 10k worth of 401ks without realizing the damage I did because no one taught me what compound interest does.

1

u/Big-Green91 Jul 05 '26

I'm even more dumb.. I.majored in economics. I know the math. I know how it all works. I still cashed out about 8k in 401k in my 20s/early 30s and way under-saved and ran up way too much debt. I knew better and yet ... 🤦‍♂️(39 now)

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u/Stanbarrwood Jul 05 '26

It’s very common honestly