‘Buy yourself a buffer’: Amplifi CEO Braiden Shaw’s 5-step plan for where your money should be invested in 2026

“If you lose your job or want to switch your job, you don’t want to be constrained because you have $10 in the bank account,” he said in a TikTok video. “Buy yourself a buffer, put it in there, you’ll thank me later.”

His five-step order, from basic to advanced, is a high-yield savings account, a 401(k) up to the employer match, an individual retirement account (IRA), a taxable brokerage account and finally investing in yourself.

The cash buffer, and where it grows

Step one is your emergency fund. It’s there, so one setback doesn’t throw you off course.

Where you keep that money matters because it affects how much it earns. A high-yield savings account works like a traditional savings account, but it usually pays a much higher interest rate. It’s also federally insured up to $250,000 and easy to access, making it a good place for cash you want to keep close but not spend.

That matters because the national average savings rate was just 0.38% as of June 15, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), while some of the top high-yield accounts were paying as much as 5% as of July 2. You’re still keeping the same federally insured cash, but earning more while it sits there.

The match, and the account you control

Step two is a 401(k), but only up to your employer’s match. A match is money your employer puts in alongside yours, usually as a set share of your pay, and it only happens when you contribute.

That makes the match feel like an instant return on your investment, which is why Shaw says it’s too valuable to skip.

He stops there if there’s no employer match.

“If your employer does not have a match, you are skipping your 401(k),” he said, calling it “generally speaking a poorer performing asset than an IRA” because an IRA gives you more control over what you invest in.

A few other points matter. A 401(k) is the account that holds your investments, so the same mutual fund or ETF performs the same whether it’s inside a 401(k) or an IRA. The contribution limits are also different. In 2026, you can contribute up to $24,500 to a 401(k) and up to $7,500 to an IRA, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). That means a 401(k) allows you to save more, even if an IRA offers greater investment flexibility. Many employers also offer a Roth 401(k), which uses the same tax treatment Shaw recommends in the next step.

Roth, ETFs and the brokerage account

Step three is opening an IRA, and Shaw says he’d lean toward a Roth IRA for most people.

The biggest difference is when you pay taxes. With a Roth, you pay taxes upfront, and unqualified withdrawals in retirement are tax-free. With a traditional IRA, you may receive a tax break now, but you’ll pay taxes when you withdraw the money later. Which option makes more sense depends largely on your income, Shaw said.

He’d invest those contributions in broad, low-cost ETFs. ETFs hold a diversified mix of stocks in one place, helping keep costs low. Shaw mentioned VOO, VTI, QQQM and SCHD, all low-cost index ETFs. The $7,500 he references is the 2026 IRA contribution limit.

Step four is a taxable brokerage account for money left over after you’ve maxed out your tax-advantaged retirement accounts. It has no annual contribution limit and no retirement-account restrictions, but you’ll owe taxes on dividends and any capital gains when you sell investments. Shaw views it as a flexible account that can help fund future goals like buying a home, replacing a car or investing in real estate.

Betting on yourself — and Shaw’s stake in the list

Step five is the one Shaw says gets the most pushback: investing in yourself.