401k vs roth vs traditional (institutional mutual funds), etc

[gene parmesan]

http://www.begintoinvest.com/expense-ratio-calculator/

http://www.madfientist.com/traditional-ira-vs-roth-ira/

[not_a_trex]

Honestly, I think those expense ratios are so low to begin with that at your age choosing to go out to eat only a few times this year will have a bigger impact on your financial situation. I wouldn't get hung up on the expense ratios. That being said, here are a few things you might want to know before making a choice.

- The 401K has ERISA protections*. So if you get sued for some reason, there are certain circumstances where the money in your 401K cannot be touched.
- You can still make your 2014 IRA contribution until April 15, 2015. 401K contributions must come from a paycheck during the same year of contribution.

The bigger question is which kind of 401K or IRA do you put your money into?

In the IRA case, is your AGI so high that you cannot make deductible contributions to a traditional IRA? If that is the case then you might consider making a backdoor roth contribution.

http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Backdoor_Roth_IRA

Out of curiosity, are you able to make after-tax (not to be confused with Roth) contributions to your 401K? Another option to consider is maxing your pretax/Roth 401K and then continuing to make after-tax contributions that could eventually be rolled over into a Roth 401k or Roth IRA.

*I am not a legal or financial professional. Please consult your lawyer or financial advisor for professional advice.

[matchewed]

You can only consider taxes as they are, not as they will be. You don't know the future.

I'd go with maxing tax deferred while at a young age. You may encounter income limits that put you out of getting the benefit of a traditional IRA and can then use a Roth IRA.

You can open an IRA or Roth IRA with any company. You are not limited by the funds with the account you have. Feel free to jump ship to another company that suits your desire for expense ratio and types of funds. That being said none of the fees you've mentioned are bad.

What is your current income? That will influence which types of accounts to use rather than future unknown taxation.

[matchewed]

My salary is currently about $55k. I get a 7% match and 10% profit sharing each year. I think this puts me in the 15% tax bracket but I'm not really sure

Depends on what you mean by profit sharing and what sort of deductions are available to you. Is it straight up cash or stocks or...

Given that salary I'd still go with max tax deferred. It just works out math wise to be superior for a FIRE attempt.