My opinion only...but there’s no reason that almost all captains here should not be maxing out their retirement contributions. Saving YOUR money now in a tax advantaged account with the VEBA is an excellent way to start preparing for retirement. The alternative is you getting that money backlight 33percent less and maybe reinvesting it in the same **** and getting taxed again when you pull it out. If you plan on living past 75 you need to fund these costs anyway so why not prepare?