Am I the only one who didn't know a 401k match is basically free money until I did the math?

Grant Dixon · 2026-10-11T10:55:03.716836+00:00

I was reading a random Reddit thread last Tuesday night and someone pointed out that if your job offers a 5% match, turning it down is like saying no to a 5% raise. I did the math on my own check and realized I was leaving about $1,800 on the table every single year because I kept telling myself I couldn't afford to put anything in. That number hit me hard since I was stressing over a $600 car repair at the same time. My HR lady confirmed the match was real and I signed up the next morning. Has anyone else ignored their work match for a while and felt dumb about it later?

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Am I the only one who didn't know a 401k match is basically free money until I did the math? | Broke to Boss Money Talk - Rigidtalk