<prompt> Human: Hey PF,Im a 30 year old financial illiterate who is trying to develop a retirement plan and a broader investment plan after several years of putting it off. Ive been reading this subreddit for the past few days and its really opened my eyes.Here are my circumstances now:Im debt free, earning 71,000 a year. I have 72,000 in my checking account, doing nothing but losing value to inflation.I dont have anything in a 401k my employer doesnt match, and I didnt really even know what a 401k is until recently although I will be vested in their defined benefit plan in a few years and also have one from my previous employer which I believe will pay me a little over 4000 a year when I retire.Over the weekend, I set up a Roth IRA and put in 5500 for 2013, and plan to throw in another 5500 for this year. Ive been reading up on three-fund lazy portfolios for investing this money.Now my question is, what do I do from here?Should I play catch up on a 401k and max it out for the next couple years?What should I do with the rest of my money? My fiancée and I plan on having a child in a few years and possibly buy a house, so I dont want to tie everything up for the long-term. But I certainly dont want this money sitting around when it could be doing something useful.Thanks in advance for your insight!  <response>: Please read the FAQ and the sidebar links, particularly the Long-Term Investing Start-Up KitShould I play catch up on a 401k and max it out for the next couple years?If you want to save money for retirement, then yes. 