Where should you invest first?
Answer a few questions and get your personal investing order — 401(k) match, HSA, Roth IRA, then brokerage — plus the exact age you could retire. Built for people who’ve never been taught this.
Based on the r/personalfinance prime directive · Results in under a minute
Most people guess. You don’t have to.
There’s a proven order for where your money should go — but it’s buried in flowcharts and forum posts. investpath turns it into three steps.
Tell us your situation
Income, age, what you can invest, and whether you have an employer match or an HSA. Rough numbers are fine.
Get your exact order
A personalized waterfall showing how many dollars go into each account, and the one-sentence reason why.
See when you’re free
A projection of the age you could reach financial independence — and how each change moves that date.
The order to invest your money (2026)
This is the “financial order of operations” — the sequence that captures free money and tax breaks before everything else. The calculator below sizes each step to your income.
Starter emergency fund ($1,000)
A small cash buffer so an unexpected bill doesn’t become credit-card debt. Keep it in savings, not invested.
401(k) up to the employer match
A 100% instant return — the best deal in personal finance. Never leave free money on the table.
Pay off high-interest debt
Debt above ~7% (credit cards) beats any expected market return. Clearing it is a guaranteed, tax-free win.
Full emergency fund (3–6 months)
Enough cash to cover a job loss without selling investments at the worst possible time.
Max your HSA
The only triple-tax-free account: deductible going in, grows untaxed, and tax-free for medical costs.
Max a Roth IRA
Tax-free growth and withdrawals. Contributions can come out penalty-free, so it doubles as a backup fund.
Max your 401(k)
Fill the rest of the annual limit with pre-tax dollars that lower your taxable income today.
Taxable brokerage
No limits, fully accessible — the bridge that funds the years before you can touch retirement accounts.
Your personal plan
Everything updates live as you type. Nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.
Your situation
Rough numbers are fine.
The one number that decides everything
Your savings rate matters more than your income or your returns. Drag it.
Your investing order
Follows the r/personalfinance prime directive — sized to your numbers.
When you could be free
FIRE = the day your investments cover your spending forever (the 4% rule).
How investpath is different
Great tools exist — but they either give you a number with no “what next,” or bury the logic in a static image.
| Account order | Personalized | Retire-age projection | Beginner-friendly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Networthify | — | partly | ✓ | ✓ |
| r/PF flowchart | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Boldin / ProjectionLab | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| investpath | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Frequently asked questions
Where should I invest my money first?
In order: a small starter emergency fund, your 401(k) up to the full employer match, high-interest debt, a full 3–6 month emergency fund, then max your HSA (if eligible), a Roth IRA, your 401(k), and finally a taxable brokerage account. This captures free money and tax advantages before anything else. The calculator above sizes each step to your income.
Should I invest in a 401(k) or Roth IRA first?
Contribute to your 401(k) up to the employer match first — that’s an instant 100% return. After the match, a Roth IRA usually comes next for its tax-free growth and flexible withdrawals, and then you go back to maxing the 401(k).
What is the 4% rule?
The 4% rule estimates you can safely withdraw about 4% of your invested portfolio each year in retirement. So your “FIRE number” target is roughly your annual spending × 25.
Is this financial advice?
No. investpath is a free educational tool. It uses widely-accepted guidelines (like the r/personalfinance prime directive and the 4% rule) but doesn’t know your full situation. For personalized advice, talk to a fee-only fiduciary advisor.
Do you store my data?
No. Everything runs in your browser — your numbers never leave your device and there’s no signup.
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