<prompt> Human: Hi Folks,Im a 28 year old former artist who just became part of corporate America RIP dreams living in NYC. Looking for some financial advice since this is the first time Ive had stable incomebenefits and have student loans to deal with. EDIT: My GF did not pressure me to take this job, I am fine with my passion being a side hustle and its more important to me that I can have a family one day and move out of my parents house. She was my number 1 fan the whole way and Im solely responsible for killing my dreams and am fortunate I was able to chase them for as long as I did.Salary: 80k Bonus in a year based on company profit I also still make 5-15k off my music projects depending on streamssalesRent: None until Jan 2019 living home until then. EDIT: Many people are suggesting I should stay home longer. I have a GF of 7 years who has put up with all my bullshit in the music industry and part of me taking this Job was to have enough income for us to move in together...so I have to move in with her in Jan 2019 when her lease is up.Savings: 8k with 4k for an emergency fund and 4k for general savingsLoan details: 117,416.58 in graduate school loans. 7.210, 6.840 and 5.840 interest rates depending on the loan. Right now Im paying 0 a month but will have to start paying in Jan 2019. Minimum payments are 518 for the higher interest and 310 for the lower interest.Job Benefits: Planning to max out 401k and opt in for Medical plan without HSA and dentalvision. The 401k has a Roth option but I dont really understand what it is, and after a year of employment they match based on company profitability.Just started using YNAB and its really helped me get a grip on wtf is going on with my money. Especially as an artist for the last 8 years I had no idea wtf was happening.Looking for any advice, specifically on how to deal with my loans! Thanks, happy to provide any additional information.Assistant: If there is not employer match on your 401k right now, you should put the money towards loans instead of contributing to retirement.Human: Any reason why? Part of why I posted is because Ive been reading around here a lot and you guys always go for the loan payoff, but IRL most people are telling me to max out my 401k. Im very bad at this stuff so sorry for the ignorance.Assistant: By max out, you mean the actual max? 18,500? Human: Yeah I was going to dump 18,500 into it since Im not paying rent right now and my expenses are pretty low except for the mounting loansAssistant: Someone mentioned it already, but paying down loans is a ROI to the interest rate. You really cant expect more than that immediately from 401k investment ROI. You should spend time focusing on the loans before the 401k. But Im just a random person on reddit..Human: The important part of this is that he needs to contribute to his 401k at a higher level after the debt is paid off, than he would if he started contributing today. Doing 10 of your income today is way better than 10 in 5 years, but 10 today isnt necessarily better than 20 starting in 5 years. The debt is gone so you can make higher contributions.Assistant: Right...Im concerned Im already late on my retirement fund, so I want to get as much in there as possible...  <response>: Think about it as paying yourself interest. So lets say you could put 10,000 into your 401k and earn 10 interest so you made 1,000 for a total of 11,000 at the end of the year. If you have 10,000 in debt at 20 interest, then it would essentially cost you 2,000 to hold that debt. Youve made 1,000 on your 401, but you lost 2,000 due to debt. Youve suffered a net loss of 1,000.So basically take the 10 of your income you would contribute to your 401k and write it down. Assume you get a 10 return above market and say you owe your 401k that money. Once you pay off your debt, you need to contribute to your retirement fund at a higher rate until your debt is made up. Theres probably a better formula but for 5 years itd be 67,156, which is 10,000 1.110,0001.110,0001.110,0001.110,0001.1. I dont guarantee this math is perfect, but were in the ballpark and I assume you get the point.This way you are paying yourself interest on debt instead of a someone else interest for debt. The problem with this plan is it takes years of willpower and discipline so sometimes its easier to start contributing today even if it costs you 1,000 per year. Thats less than 2 of your income and if thats what it costs for you to save, then maybe it is right for you. Only you know if you have the willpower to stick to a plan for 10 years. 