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Front load. But you need to plan it in a way that you don’t lose out on any company match.
Deloitte is not paycheck match so it does not matter how you contribute, just the total amount contributed in the year
Front load. Time in the market and compounding are the advantage long term, as long as you do it consistently each year (and your match isn’t dependent on steady contributions). Agree that rebalancing is the answer to pull backs.
Goldman Sachs and others have done a lot of analysis on this and found that over the last 25 years, if you had missed the 10 best days of market performance, you went from a top 10% performer to top 50%. My numbers are off here, but directionally accurate.
I was a financial advisor and always advocated this approach to my clients.
Bowl Leader
How does your match work? If annual and you get same match regardless of when you contribute you are most likely going to get the best results by frontloading. If company matches by paycheck then you probably need to spread it out across the year to not miss out on some of the match.
I suppose you could weigh the possibility of a major pullback against continued growth but I don't have that skill 🔮. My primary achievement there was buying instead of selling this March (but I also bought in Jan/Feb I just don't brag about that part... but now even those purchases are 💹).
So we such at 401k match and only get like 1.5% at end of fiscal year.
 Yeah was thinking of March or even September but yeah if I knew I wouldn’t be here haha.
Thanks for the response and it does seem like makes no sense to not front load and let it ride . If it drops it drops. I guess since this is a 401(k) in long-term there’s no need to worry for short term crash. 
Rising Star
“My expenses should hopefully go up” - that is one statement you don’t hear often 🤣.
It’s better to front load most of the time. You can look online for examples of front loaders vs. people who DCA. They have charts that show investing at the highest/lowest point every year as well.
Haha I miss the days of $18 cocktails in a safe setting. 
Thanks guess the whole phrase of time in the market is greater then timing the market holds true. I’ve been burnt by not jumping in fully into the market during this bull run 
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Time IN the market is better than TIMING the market
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Here's the latest advice from my CFA-
While front loading has advantages from additional time and compound interest, you can also miss out on discount market moves. Consider this year, had you front loaded the bulk of it before March, you would have missed out on buying the dip and the subsequent gains over 6 months.
It doesn’t matter when you’re going to let it ride for 30 years. You can’t time the market. In this case OP should front load since he can afford to do it while staying at home.
Front load. For those concerned with timing risk, this is what rebalancing is for. Assuming we don’t have another COVID crash for a few years, the volatility will be smaller, and having more capital to work with for rebalancing should smooth out any downside from not DCA.
Pro
The arguments against front-loading - missing out on the dip - are moot given this is long term money. We should generally expect volatility in our portfolio. What happens if you don't front load next year, and q1/q2 are the lowest points of the year, then you miss out on a gain you could have ridden. Hindsight is always....(i hate to do this) 2020!
With a read on the various ways you can fund an account like this and the outcome over the long run: https://www.personalfinanceclub.com/five-ways-to-time-your-ira-contribution-lump-sum-monthly-and-more/
Good thing is that DCA, up front, perfect timing, and worst timing all do pretty well. And the differences from upfront and the perfect timing isn’t all that far apart.
Scanned the comments here and didn’t see this. I think it depends on what you’ll do for the rest of the year if you front load.
Typically time in market is best. Who knows if there will be a massive dip/bubble pop and if there is, if it goes meaningfully below current levels. As you’re investing in 401k it is long term focused. Just make sure to get any match if there is one.
Onto my main point - what do you do with the extra income rest of year (since you’ve maxed contribution)? Are you then investing this, building emergency fund, building for a house deposit so you want less risky investment if it’s not too far away, etc. This is the biggest counterpoint to front loading and benefit of DCA - smoother cash outflow. Constantly doing the same every month makes a difference. Perhaps think about front loading personal investments with excess cash and keep DCA 401k. It’s all going into the same pool of personal net worth at the end of the day.
It is was i did this year (reached limit by June) and it did help with the covid crash
I don't recommend front loading. Anyone who did that in Q1 this year felt the pain as the pandemic began and stocks went down- but depends on your risk tolerance. Personally think its better to spread it around the year
This depends on if you get a match from your company and how it's distributed. Typically, you only get the match for periods during which you make contributions, so for people receiving a match, it's usually worthwhile to spread out contributions throughout the year.
Following!!
Do a certain percentage like 6% spread throughout the year. Front load (rest) what is required to reach max.
It will help in spread for the year plus you will be covered for match if it is not annual.
You set your contribution % to something high, the most you can afford subject to any limitations set by your employer. For example with simple math say your earn $10k/mo, if you contribute 15% per paycheck, you’ll contribute $1,500/mo.
But if you set it to 50%, you’ll contribute $5k/mo, and you’ll reach the annual limit in April. Then the rest of the year you contribute $0. That’s front-loading.
Following. I thought equally throughout the year was common, for dollar cost avg etc, but surprised most are saying front loading.
Thank you to both. SC1 got it right with the physiological fear in me, P1 got it right I will never have $20k to drop in a month. DCA for me so I'm glad it's still common in some way, even if FL may be better. Just not better for everyone.
Chief
I moderately front load for 3 big reasons
1. If forces me into a stricter budget. I have a smaller paycheck earlier in the year. When I reduce my contributions slightly throughout the year on a sliding scale, I still maintain my budget from my smaller paychecks earlier in the year. The extra money goes towards savings or some other big goal, not lifestyle creep.
2. By not fully front loading, I make sure I can sti have a minimum amount taken from my paycheck later in the year to get full company match. Current company does not do an EOY try up. I also plan a buffer in case I switch to a company with a higher match (current match is only 3%).
3. It protects me in case I lose my job or switch jobs with a waiting period. I'd I have a few months of unemployment or waiting period, my stricter budget at the previous job, and the higher % I but in earlier, means I'm more likely to be able to catch up from a short period of being unable to contribute to a 401k for a year.
Does ACN’s program allow front loading?
^ I confirm this. I front loaded early this year and just got the true up for the remaining 8-9 months of employer matching in a lump sum on 12/28.
Yeah it would depend if the match is every pay period of trued up based on your contributions at the end of the year.