Early retirement savings

[snowbird]

So I want to retire before i'm 50 and I'm saving/investing towards that goal. Which of these two scenarios (as I understand them) would make me more money?

Take my pre-tax funds from my salary and invest in the non-matching company 401k program. When I need the money I would incur a 10% withdrawal penalty plus the normal taxation when I withdraw money.

Take my post-tax funds from my salary and invest it in normal mutual funds? With this I would get a tax hit at the start of 28% and a capital gains tax hit when I sold.

[footenote]

How old are you today? (Trying to understand your investment time horizon between today and you being 50 yo.)

FYI, today there is no capital gains tax if your income is below about $70,000. And 72(t) rules can help you access money you contribute in your 401k / IRA before you turn 59.5 years old. So you should have more flexibility than you might think when accessing funds.

[jpo]

I would max out your 401k. You can always do the Roth Rollover Pipeline method when you get close to retiring. I would expect your retirement tax rate to be less than 28%.