<prompt> Human: This is my first time posting here so please be gentle. Im not sure what details you guys need so Heres a breakdown of what comes to mind to set the stage:INCOME:I make 100k gross a year. I wont include bonus because its never guaranteed. If I get one I typically put the majority toward Roth contribution and either spend the extra or throw it in savings. DEBT:- 10k left on my car loan its at 1.9 interest I put an extra 20 on every payment- 100k left on my mortgage loan at 3.75 fixed I put an extra 200 on every payment - I use credit cards but pay them off monthlyIm single and pretty much do what I want. While I may get married some day I dont think kids are in the cards. I like being the Aunt so Ill just stick w that :.Ive got:- 30k emergency savings - 120k in various retirement accounts 401k, Roth IRAs. In the past year Ive bumped up my 401k contribution from 10 to 14 and getting company match up to 3 if I recall. And every year I max the 5,500 Roth IRA contribution From a future spend perspective, I put 1000 a month into discretionary savings and spread it out over various sub accounts general catch all bucket, Christmas gifts funds, travel fund, future car down payment for my next car, and I save monthly amounts toward my niece and nephew for a big ticket item when theyre older like sending them to Europe or help w a car, etc etc I feel like Im making good choices but am unsure what to do in 2018 to make more of a difference to make sure Im set up for success. My gut says I should keep creeping up my contribution to max out my 401k but curious if Im missing something else? Side note and Im not sure why Im sharing this but my mother is in poor health and not in a good financial situation. She often borrows money from me and I expect that will continue. Ive considered purchasing a small condo for her to help her but am not sure I want to put myself in that situation. An investment property could be cool except she wouldnt be able to pay the rent so it defeats the point I suppose. I guess I share this because I worry about her financial security along w how it may start to effect mine over time as she becomes more dependent and needs more assistance my brother has kids and doesnt have the financial flexibility to help so I know it will fall to me. Essentially, I feel I should do something to be prepared for the financial drain of helping her more since it seems very likely. Perhaps a reason to be saving w an eye toward being more liquid vs not ? Unsure. Any advice is appreciated Edit: upon discussion, the sidenote above mom factor has really become the crux of the question. Sorry I didnt realize it at first. Sometimes we dont know what we are seeking till we start digging into it Assistant: Sorry to hear about your mother...That being said it sounds like you have your stuff together. You seem to be in really good shape and knowledge of your finances. I guess a question could be whats your retirement goal. Do you plan on working till you are 65 and beyond or would you want to try and retire on the earlier side and enjoy retirement life? Paying off debt is always a good thing, but some debt mortgage also helps for tax purposes. Human: Hmm I suppose retiring early would be cool. I havent really considered it. I cant imagine not going to work everyday so I havent put a lot of thought into what that life would be like to result in a desire to retire early but I guess theres no reason not to do it if I could! Maybe at 60?Assistant: Only ask because that will dictate how much needs to go into that fund. The sooner you retire the more you need to put into that currently. Im always a fan of saving for the future so I always think its a good idea to put money into retirement. However you also want to be able to live in the present, which it sounds like you already are. If you have money to do things you enjoy today and are able to put some extra Into retirement, to me thats what I would do. Maybe pay off the car to free up some extra money, but over all it seems like you have a really good balance.For retirement, assuming you are relying only on the 401k and such no pension of any type you need to figure out some basic numbers. That includes how much you need a year to survive and also need to factor cost of health care into that. You seem pretty good in owning and almost paying off a house, but also what are yearly taxes?If you retire at 60 and live till your 85 and you have 1 million in retirement funds sounds a lot but thats equals 40k a year. Now considering you already would have a house paid off, and no children as of now you might be able to make that work. Just trying to put things in perspective. Human: Yes this is helpful, thank you. Its really easy to lose perspective! And the idea of having fully funded retirement DOES seem a lot its hard to fathom saving that really especially when Ive only got 120k. I currently live in a condo, and I could pay it off early but I would still have condo association fees300 and taxes 5500. I doubt this is where Id want to live when Im older but not sure that matters? It honestly took me writing this post to realize that I think what Im struggling with or my biggest concern honestly comes down to the mom issue. To lock my money down in retirement funds means Im not liquid to help her. Trying to decide the right way to fund my future while trying to have some flexibility to help hers too is a tough balancing act that Im not sure how to figure out.  <response>: Sorry for the length of this. TLDR: max your retirement contributions to 401k, Roth IRA, and HSA if possible. Budget for yourself and come up with a plan with your mom to stop the bleeding of expenses. As others have stated, your priorities are definitely in the right place, and so are your intentions. Regarding your question about 2018 and how you can be set up for success, Id say though you are way ahead of a big portion of Americans in terms of retirement savings, people over at rfinancialindependence would say youre a little behind and could optimize better not counting the situation with your mother, which Ill comment about a little later. I dont see mention of a budget, other than the discretionary savings portion. If you were to start optimizing, I would start with a monthly budget so you can better set a financial goal. Start from scratch and include the basics only, not counting the extra you pay towards your mortgage and car. The interest rates on those are probably lower than what you could be having them do in index funds, or your 401k. Youre doing the right thing in paying out to your Roth IRA and 401k first, but I think if you max those first, and an HSA if insurance through your work offers one, youd see your net worth skyrocket. After that, your discretionary savings really breaks down into a part of your budget. I think its sweet you account for your nieces and nephews in your budget, and wouldnt ask you to change that. But I think with some excel work or YNAB, you can allocate money to different subaccounts in your savings, so that you can see how much money you actually have to play with after contributing to retirement and your budget. And because you did a great job in forming a comfortable emergency fund, I think youll have an easy time adjusting to divvying out your future paychecks to wherever you decide to. It will eventually become automatic and you may not even need to track a budget I now track my net worth instead, and adjust as necessary.Now, about your mother. Im sorry shes sick, and Im glad you are both empathetic to her needs and understanding of your brothers inability to help financially. I have 2 brothers and were also going through the burden of our parents not planning for retirement. We do each have our roles, though. Im not sure of either of your relationship role with your mother, but maybe if your brother cant help financially, he can aid as support as you go over future plans with her. With her expenses outpacing her income, her current route is unsustainable, and you guys need a plan to stop the bleeding. As someone said, she has always found a way to make it work, and it seems borrowing from you is the way it will work if things continue. I suggested a budget for you, and youve done really well for yourself. It wouldnt be fair that she is not at least budgeting also. She may not even realize that her expenses her income. Just as you have money set aside for your brothers kids, maybe you allocate a few hundred to go to a subaccount for your mother also, without her knowing. Basically an emergency fund for her so if its needed, it wont dip into yours. A big thing about her asking for money and you giving it is you may not know what shes spending it on. What she thinks is essential might not really be essential when you and your brother help add some perspective. By coming to a plan together, I think it will bring some peace of mind with a little less unpredictability. I know that unplanned expenses are always what scare me. If you guys do all get together and make a plan, Id suggest doing it in person, and in as non-judgmental and non-condescending way as possible. In a perfect world, she leaves the conversation feeling inspired and proud of her kids for caring about her future. 