Five Sections. Every Account. The Exact Order.
This is a full walkthrough of what the kit delivers — not a teaser, not a summary. Click through each section to see what's inside.
A one-page visual showing all four accounts — Roth IRA, HSA, 401k, taxable brokerage — what each one does, and the exact order Mel funds them in every year. The clearest version of this you'll find anywhere, without the conflicting advice that floods every finance forum and subreddit.
How to read your 401k offering, what to do about the employer match (the single biggest mistake first-gen earners make), and Mel's exact contribution percentage at every income level she's been at. The match alone can be worth tens of thousands annually — and most people leave it untouched.
Which provider Mel uses and why, the exact funds she buys inside it, the Backdoor Roth explained in plain language, and the contribution limits with real numbers for 2026. No vague "it depends on your situation" — the actual decisions, laid out clearly.
Why the HSA is the most underrated account on the entire list, how Mel uses it as a stealth retirement account, and the rules nobody explains until it's too late. If you have access to an HSA and you're not treating it as a third retirement account, you're leaving a triple tax advantage on the table.
What goes in here after you've maxed everything else, how to think about tax efficiency inside a taxable account, and the bridge account strategy that lets you actually retire before 59½ — the mechanism most early-retirement content glosses over entirely.
