When 401(k) Matches Disappear, Your Mortgage Payment Strategy Doesn’t Have To

If it feels like corners are being cut all over, yet your bills just keep going up and up—you’re not alone. One of the latest hits to homeowner finances is the cutting of 401(k) matches. While not yet a widespread trend, it’s becoming a real concern as several heavy hitters have made the move.Case in point: TTEC paused 401(k) matches for its U.S.-based employees, as reported earlier this year. Chief People Officer Laura Butler noted in an employee memo that the pause would last nine months, with the company hoping to resume its 3% match if business performance supports it.For homeowners planning to stay put in retirement, that lost match isn't just pocket change—it’s money they were banking on to help cover their housing costs in old age.“Losing a 401(k) match isn't just losing a perk that came with the job. It's losing part of the retirement savings engine,” says Evan Mills, a financial advising analyst with Scholar Financial Advising LLC. “It's one of the only places you can receive an immediate return on the dollars you're contributing, so it's a major factor for a lot of people's retirement savings and a cause for concern. It's an added benefit a lot of people look for in jobs,...