AI Summary
5 min readGetting your employer’s 401(k) match is the closest thing to free money in personal finance, but one in three employees leaves it on the table. On this episode of The Money Guy Show, hosts Brian Preston and Bo Hanson walk through seven financial “cheat codes”—legal, practical strategies that feel almost too good to be true. The conversation focuses on the mechanics of each move, the psychology that makes them work, and the conditions under which they actually pay off.
The Employer Match: A Guaranteed 50–100% Return
The first cheat code is the most obvious and the most neglected. If your employer matches your 401(k) contributions—say, 50 cents or a dollar for every dollar you put in—that is an immediate, guaranteed return on your money. “This could truthfully set you up for a 50% to a 100% guaranteed rate of return,” Brian says. “That’s just unheard of in the financial world.” Yet 34% of employees do not contribute enough to get the full match.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:33) **Getting Your Full Employer Match** - This is the first and most obvious cheat code: free money from your employer.
- 2 (03:53) **Automating Your Investing** - Making discipline the default setting by automating contributions.
- 3 (08:27) **Following the Financial Order of Operations** - The overarching cheat code that tells you exactly what to do with your next dollar.
- 4 (11:37) **Optimizing a Health Savings Account (HSA)** - The "triple tax-advantaged" account that can become a powerful investment vehicle.
- 5 (18:06) **A Brief Pause on HSA Eligibility** - An important caveat: the HSA cheat code only works if the right health plan is chosen first.
- 6 (21:21) **Using a Backdoor Roth IRA** - A legal loophole for high earners to get money into a Roth IRA.
- 7 (26:41) **Tax-Loss Harvesting** - Turning market losses into a tax advantage.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Use code MONEYGUY at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50: https://bit.ly/monarch-moneyguy Want to build wealth faster without taking unnecessary risks? Brian and Bo break down seven financial "cheat codes" that can dramatically improve your long-term finances—from maximizing your 401(k) employer match and automating investments to optimizing your HSA, using a Backdoor Roth IRA, tax-loss harvesting, and following the Financial Order of Operations. These aren't gimmicks—they're proven wealth-building strategies that many investors overlook. Whether you're just getting started or optimizing your financial plan, these money moves can help you avoid costly mistakes and make every dollar work harder.
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