WARNING: NON BIT CURRENCY POST
So my company is now allowing up to $54k in after-tax contributions to 401(k)s. As far as I can tell, these after-tax contributions are treated almost exactly like any other after-tax investment you would make, except any dividends or other gains are tax-deferred. Seems like a no-brainer to max out this kind of an account before using any other investment accounts unless you plan on being in a higher tax bracket when you start cashing out, which seems counter-intuitive.
So, in my mind, extra dollars should be invested thusly:
1. 401(k) pre-tax - Up to $18,000 / year
1a. HSA pre-tax - Max is like $5,000 or something?
2. IRA / Roth IRA - Up to $5,500 / year
3. 401(k) after-tax - Up to $54,000 / year
4. Other after-tax investment accounts - No limit
Am I missing something?
Update: just read that if you leave your job you can roll over any after-tax 401(k) contributions into a Roth IRA, which is even better for retirement income. Pretty sweet deal.