Hot take: long term taxable brokerage accounts are underrated compared to Roths and maxing out a 401k beyond the match is overrated.
The tax benefits are real, but flexibility is massively undervalued. Life doesn’t wait until 59.5. Having access to capital without penalties matters for houses, businesses, emergencies, or opportunities.
Long term capital gains on index funds aren’t as bad as people make them out to be, especially compared to locking money away for decades under rules that can change. Especially if you buy VOO and hold long term, the cost is very low
I’ll take control and optionality over squeezing every last tax advantage.