Nobody talks about the HSA as a retirement account and I think that's a mistake.

Here's what an HSA can do: contributions are pre-tax, growth is tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free. That's triple tax advantage — better than a Roth IRA and better than a traditional 401k. After age 65, you can withdraw for any purpose and just pay ordinary income tax, making it functionally identical to a traditional IRA for non-medical expenses.

The strategy I use: I contribute the annual max ($4,150 for individuals in 2024), invest it all in VTI through my HSA investment account (Fidelity), and pay all current medical expenses out of pocket. By letting the HSA grow untouched, I'm building a tax-free pool of money specifically for the retirement healthcare costs that kill most retirement budgets.

The catch: you need an HDHP-eligible health plan to qualify. If you're generally healthy and your employer's HDHP costs are reasonable, this is worth serious consideration.