<prompt> Human: Im 29 and own a house with about 170k still owed and no other debt. I have roughly 12k in the bank and am currently maxed out for employer match on my 401k. I believe they match 50 up to 6.Im new to this sub but Ive noticed the recommended steps are typically to pay off debt highest interest first, secure the 6-month or so security fund, and then max the 401k.What Im unsure of is if the paying off debt includes a home -- would I realistically want to have no debt on a home before contributing to a 401k? Perhaps the standard 3-point list should separate 401k contributions into employer-matched and maximizing investments?  <response>: Generally, paying off a mortgage is not included in the pay off high-interest debt item listed before maxing out a 401k.Of course, this changes if the interest rate on your mortgage is high, in which case it might make sense to pay it off faster or refinance.Sidenote: The term maxing out ones 401k refers to contributing up to the annual limit currently 17,500, not just contributing enough to get the employer match. 