First some clarifications
(1) John's reference to "tsp" leads me to think he's a Federal employee. A description of tsp
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/thrift_savings_plan.asp(2) His question refers to "401K". While not the same, 401Ks and TSPs operate pretty much the same. According to the description above, one can be converted into the other.
(3) John refers to "distribution" in his question. I suspect he means "contribution."
If John wants respondents to detail how much they invest annually in these plans, I can't answer. We contribute nothing in retirement. In fact, we take distributions of 4-
5% annually. While employed, my contributions varied widely. The limit back in the 70s-90s was in the range of $6,000 to $10,000 annually as I recall. We seldom "maxed-out", except during the last few years.
The first article (which I read) isn't very well focused. It mentions the need to save and difficulties that often prevent families from doing so. It touches on RMD requirements. It gives $18,000 as the yearly limit on contributions. And, it notes that some employer plans feature a match.
Like most of these articles, they manage to get the wagon out in front of the horse a little. Before people can save, they have to to learn to manage household expenses through effective planning/budgeting. They also need to get off the credit Merry Go-Round if they're carrying over monthly balances on credit cards or other forms of revolving credit.
Once solvent, families can begin saving. I won't go overboard touting 401Ks. They're a great component to saving. However, as some have noted previously, the tax advantages eventually come back to haunt you in the form of the "ordinary income" tax rates applied on plan distributions. For at least some, 401Ks may not be the preferred method of saving. I once met a fellow who had chosen to invest during his working years in rental properties he was fixing-up and which would provide an income stream during retirement. So, one size does not fit all.
My favorite expression relating to monthly savings - "PAY YOURSELF FIRST."
