<prompt> Human: So, I currently contribute the maximum to my 401k. I also invest about 30 of that per month into an account that is managed by a financial professional. Im curious about if this is the right strategy. Should I reduce my 401k contributions to the maximum that my company matches 6, and give the rest to the financial professional for investment. He is currently providing insight as to investment direction in my 401k, but not directly managing it. I know, it should be as easy as looking at return on investment year over year, but want to hear if thats the only thing I should be looking at. Currently 401k value 2x investment being managed by my financial advisor.  <response>: Youre never going to get a better deal than the tax benefits that come from a 401k - stick with maxing it out before investing with post-tax money. One word on your adviser, many but not all are just glorified sales people who steer their clients to high-fee and bad investment options since they get a commission. Read up on the sidebar and previous threads for more information but the general consensus here is to be skeptical of advisers especially if your situation is pretty straight forward. 