Company 401k vs. Roth IRA

[skives]

I currently contribute 15% to my companies 401k plan. I need to contribute 5% to get the full match. My question is should I just contribute the minimum to the 401k to get the full match then open an Roth IRA so my contributions are after taxes? Also should a husband and wife have separate IRAs or joint?

[MonkeyMama]

The general rule is to fund 401ks to match, fund IRAs, and then top out 401ks.

Should you do a ROTH IRA? It depends on your tax and financial situation.

IRAs are individual (per person), they can not be joint.

[edg126]

I do only 401k as it's easier to set up the withdrawals from my paycheck rather than on my own with after tax dollars, but next year will be the first I max out my 401k contribution so I will put extra savings into the roth.

[snafu]

edg126, the various institutions make it incredibly easy to set up an account with automatic withdraw any way you like. You can make changes in a moment electronically or with a phone call. Most important is to mesh holdings in 401K with ROTH. Vanguard is doing phenomenally and so smooth to deal with.