Hey all, first time poster, HUGE fan of the site. I'm 23, no debt, and my 'Stache is just under 21k right now. Mostly in IRA and 401ks (specifically well-diversified index funds within those accounts). No transportation expenses, as I take bus to work for free. Take home pay is about $4400/month, of which about $1,000 gets spent on housing, food, utilities, etc. I save everything else.
With that background, I'm expecting a solid bonus coming up, along with a decent raise (~5k bonus, 10k raise). Salary at my job is great, especially right out of college. Trouble is, the 401k has some drawbacks. Vests 20% after 3 years (I've been here 1), 40% after 4, 60% after 5, and 100% after 6. Don't see myself here past 3 years, max. It's a 50% match up to 6% of your salary, and I'm maxing out my contribution.
Anyways, I'd hate to lose all that tax-deferred, free money of if/when I leave. So my question is, can I ask for a full vest of my 401k from here on out in lieu of some of the bonus? Or to apply the bonus to my 401k account instead? Or are plans standardized to not allow for that?
Basically my dilemma is if they have me the money it would be fully taxed and I'd just end up putting it into a savings account anyway, so I'd like to skip that step and get it right to a 401k if possible. My living expenses are pretty set and only going to fall in the future so I don't need the money for consumption at all.
If it's not possible to do this, does anyone have advice on where to save the bonus/raise? So far I haven't had to venture much past my Fidelity 401k and IRA plans.
Thanks in advance for the advice!