<prompt> Human: As opposed to me just putting my money in a brokerage account? Assistant: Paying less in tax, having money grow tax free or at the very least tax deferred as opposed to having to pay tax yearly on cap gains, dividends and other distributions.Human: but if i dont touch my brokerage account, would i have to pay taxes yearly other than dividends?  <response>: Youre investing with post-tax money though.With a 401k, you get to invest with pre-tax money. 