<prompt> Human: Im just now starting to pick a retirement plan and the options are exhausting to me. Im almost 25 yo. I have not started saving for retirement but this year I would like to start. I make 42K a year before taxes. I have about 26K in student loans and 4K in my emergency fund. No other debts. Right now seems like the right time to start putting away maybe 50 per paycheck of my biweekly pay.Ive read some about 401K plans. Read about all the different options in the sidebar. Ive seen the John Oliver segment. Im finding it hard to make a decision. My small company of about 40 employees just rolled out a new 401K plan with Principal. Is the service sound? Is it ok to invest with them? Am I better off starting an IRA with Vanguard? Should I not worry about the 401K plan, at just start building my portfolio and maybe try and rollover in 5-10 years?Edit: My employer does not offer a match.  <response>: Any 401k, even one with horrible fees, is a better first investment choice than an IRA if there is an employer match. If your employer matches your contribution up to 4 of your income, you are seeing an immediate 100 return on your 4 investment before any fees are assessed. That means that the first thing you should do, always -- and I do mean ALWAYS -- is contribute to your 401k up to the employer match limit.What to do past that point varies, and at that point does the fee become something you should start to worry about closely.There is a small flow chart going out with all the exact details, but the basic order of retirement investment knowledge goes something like this:Step 1 Invest in 401k up to employer match.Step 2 Build an emergency fund.Step 3 Pay off any debt 4 interest rate.Step 4 Max a Roth IRA.Step 5 Contribute more to your 401k up to the annual limit.Step 6 If you still have more to invest, look into an HSA or 529 or similar tax advantaged account.Step 7 If you are fortunate enough to STILL have money left to invest, THIS is when you open a taxable brokerage.Step 8 Party like a rockstar -- you are on your way to financial independence. 