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Comment by CydeWeys | Hacker News Reader

Money in a 401(k) is tax-advantaged, so it counts for more than an equal amount in salary.

In addition to match, other factors that matter a lot (but are harder to find out up front) include what funds are available and if after-tax contributions are allowed. Having access to low-cost funds is a huge plus, and after-tax contributions allow for the mega-backdoor Roth 401(k) strategy.

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I agree that a 401k match is better than the equivalent salary. Match is often a company policy and non-negotiable. Salary is negotiated per individual and usually more than once over the lifetime of a job, so it's easier to get more salary than more retirement match.

It's the pingpong tables that kill me. Why does this make me want to work there?

Ping-pong (foosball, etc.) tables make me less likely to want to work somewhere. At an old job the foosball table was near my desk. Whatever little amusement I got from playing foosball was dwarfed by the annoyance of other people playing foosball while I was trying to work. Ping-pong would be worse because I'd be trying to get things done while balls are flying through the air near me.

I used to work with an old engineer who said that every company he worked for that had a ping-pong table has closed up shop in the years since.

Also nice is the in-service rollover, so you can roll funds directly from the company's 401(k) plan into your self-directed IRA or whatever multiple times per year, instead of when you leave.

Good point. Another nice option is the ability to roll over an existing roll over IRA into a 401(k) -- not all plans have this option. This is important because having basis in an IRA negates a lot of the advantage of doing a backdoor Roth IRA, but if you can move all of those IRA funds into your 401(k) without any tax consequences, then you're golden.

Note that 401(k)-to-401(k) rollovers are generally always allowed.

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