<prompt> Human: Unless your company arbitrarily limits your contributions or you are a highly compensated employee you are able to contribute 18,500 into your 401k plan. In order to max out you would need to contribute 18,500 into the plan of your own money. All that being said. contributing to your 401k at any percentage is a good thing but I think people get the wrong idea by saying they max out because they are contributing say 6 and maxing out the employer match  <response>: I wish I was conscious of my retirement a little earlier in my life. In my 20s I figured I had pleanty of time. In my 30s I thought I needed every penny. Finaly in my 40s I got a 401k. Probly one of the smartest financial decisions Ive made in my life. that statement says a lot about my money making decisions throughout my life. the last statement I got said I had a little under 10k from that last 6 years. My next step is to raise the percentage of money I give every week. Every time I get my yearly raise at work it goes into my 401. God I wish I would of done this sooner. Even just a little bit a week. 