PFSPersonal Finance Score

Open-enrollment kit · 2027 plan year · updated 10/24/2026

Family Money Autopilot

Most of the money a working family misses is sitting inside the benefits portal. Put in your numbers, see what you leave behind each year, then set each item once so payroll does the work.

Add your date. DCFSA and HSA payroll choices lock after it.

Example family filled in. Replace with your numbers.

Pay and taxes

Texas has no state income tax, so 0 is right there. Payroll benefits below also skip the 7.65% Social Security and Medicare tax.

401(k) match
Childcare (kids under 13)
Health plan and HSA
Kids and Trump Accounts
Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)

Set it once

Five switches. Flip each one, then forget it.

Each switch moves money before it reaches your checking account. Your progress is saved in this browser only.

  1. 1 · 401(k) to the full match

    Any time
    1. Open your 401(k) site or HR portal, then Contributions.
    2. Set your rate to at least the "up to" % above.
    3. Pick an index or target-date fund if you have never chosen one.

    Automate: turn on "automatic increase" (+1% each year) if your plan offers it. Raises then fund your future without you noticing.

  2. 2 · Dependent Care FSA

    Open enrollment only
    1. In open enrollment, find "Dependent Care FSA" (not the health FSA).
    2. Elect your yearly daycare cost, up to $7,500 per household.
    3. Pay daycare as usual, then submit receipts for reimbursement.

    Automate: ask the FSA administrator for a recurring claim with your daycare. One form, monthly reimbursements. Unused money is usually lost, so elect only what you will spend.

  3. 3 · HSA, filled through payroll

    Needs an HDHP
    1. Choose an HDHP in open enrollment if it fits your family's medical use.
    2. Set a per-paycheck HSA amount. 2027 caps: $4,500 self, $9,000 family, including the company's part.
    3. Keep medical receipts. You can pay yourself back later.

    Automate: set "auto-invest" above a cash cushion (for example, invest everything over $2,000). Payroll HSA money skips income tax and the 7.65% payroll tax.

  4. 4 · Claim your child's Trump Account

    Now
    1. Treasury opened accounts automatically from 10/1/2026. Claim yours in the Trump Accounts app.
    2. For a child born 2025–2028, file Form 4547 and pick the $1,000 pilot contribution. It does not arrive unless you elect it.
    3. Have the child's SSN, legal name and birth date ready, matching Social Security records.

    Automate: link a bank account and set a monthly deposit. Ask HR whether the company contributes (up to $2,500 a year is allowed).

  5. 5 · ESPP

    Next offering period
    1. Find the ESPP in your stock or HR portal and note the next enrollment date.
    2. Pick a % of pay you can live without for 6 months.
    3. Decide your rule now: sell at purchase to lock the discount, or hold.

    Automate: the payroll deduction is the automation. Write your sell rule down so the decision is made before the price moves. Your paycheck and the stock come from the same company, so avoid holding too much of it.

The math behind it

Three rules of thumb, live

Rule of 72: how fast money doubles

$1,000 left alone. Bars show each doubling. Returns are not guaranteed; stocks can fall for years.

4% rule: how much is "enough"

A planning guideline from historical U.S. market data, not a promise. Social Security or a pension lowers the amount you need.

Your child's account at 18

Illustration only. Family and employer deposits share a $5,000 yearly limit (about $416/month).

Keep it

Get the 2027 numbers when they change

Email me the 2027 limits

The IRS usually announces next year's 401(k) and IRA limits in November. One short email when they are official, plus this checklist. No spam; unsubscribe any time.

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