Here's an uncomfortable way to read your 401(k) statement.
That $2,000,000 balance? You don't own all of it. The IRS has been a silent partner since your very first contribution, and their share gets settled later, at rates nobody has set yet, on a schedule that eventually stops being your choice.
A traditional 401(k) was never tax-free. It's tax-deferred. Deferred is a promise, not a pardon.
The good news: you get to influence when that bill comes due, how big each slice is, and which account it comes from. That's most of the game.
The bad news: almost all of the leverage exists before your first withdrawal. Let's go. 👇