How to Maximize Employer Benefits such as After-Tax 401k and ESPP

On today’s show, Meg Bartelt, CFP®, MSFP joins me to talk about how you should think differently about your total compensation in order to take advantage of your employer benefits. Meg is the founder of Flow Financial Planning, LLC, a fee-only, virtual financial planning firm dedicated to women in their early-to-mid career in tech. She specializes in equity compensation and not making people feel bad about their finances.Many employees of large tech companies are not taking full advantage of their employee benefits and leaving significant money on the table. If your employer offers after-tax 401k contributions and/or an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), you need to understand those benefits.But what if you cannot afford to save more from your paycheck because you are already just barely covering your living expenses plus vacations, home improvements, etc? Take another look by understanding your total compensation and account balances. Do you get an annual bonus? Do you receive RSUs?  You have to think a little differently: your total compensation is available to spend on living expenses, not just your bi-monthly paycheck. Maximizing your after-tax 401k contributions may reduce your paycheck, but you can make that up using your quarterly RSUs. Sell the stock and transfer the cash to your everyday checking account to fund monthly expenses.Your future self is going to thank you.