Should I back off my retirement saving to pay my student loan off faster?

For context, I owe about $20k in student loans right now and have previously contributed 10-12% to my 401(k) and tried to max out on the Roth IRA. I started with aggressive student loan payments when they resumed, but it’s catching up to me. Is it better to keep the aggressive payments and back off retirement for a bit, or lower my student loan payments and continue the pace of my retirement saving?

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Depends on the interest rate on the student loan.
Anything more than 10% and I’d pay it off.
But otherwise the advantage of tax sheltered long term growth tilts towards the 401k.
6-10% and perhaps split the difference, with some money for both.

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I’d lean towards retirement in that case. 5.8% is fairly low rate, based on current interest rates.
Putting money in retirement accounts would probably be better. But OK to put some to the loan.

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I wouldn’t. I’d continue to max out the IRA. Depends on your situation though… how much is going to principal?

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Not sure what’s in the 401k but maybe you can borrow the $20k and pay off the student loans in one shot. Usually (depending on the plan) you can borrow up to half w/ a max of $50k.

This would allow you to be done w/ the student loan and you can continue to max out your retirement accounts. “Best of both worlds”

- Good luck!

If I were you I’d completely pause retirement for like a year or more. Probably not more than a year and a half. That will continue to grow without additions to it and so will student loans if you don’t make more than the minimum payment. It’s about more than just math for me and obviously for you if you’re asking this question. It’s stressful to have student loans looming over your head.

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This is a good point. I don’t think I’ll ever completely pause the retirement savings (definitely going to at least get the employer match), but 10% might be a little high right now.

Personally I would prioritize retirement and take as long as you are comfortable with the student loans. Your retirement will benefit exponentially with the interest you’ll earn from early contributions. There are plenty of calculators online that show the value of early savings.

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What’s the interest rate on the student loan?

5.83%

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