<prompt> Human: I currently contribute 4 to my company 401K, taking max advantage of the 50 employer match. I have maxed out my IRA too. No debt. My plan is to leave current job and attend an MBA program in fall 2017, and it looks like Ill need 30K more saved up to pay for the tuition, etc. Is it a bad idea to reduce the 401k contributions, and put it into a 529 plan with a couple stock ETFs? My age: 23 Income: 75Kyr Portfolio goal: 30K savings in 2 years Before: 250 4 contribution into 401K every month After: 125 2 contribution into 401K, 125 into 529 plan per month Here is the list of current 401k options IRA savings total 27K now I know employer matching is free money, but I also see MBA as an investment, and I have seen several people who doubled their salary after the program. Which should I prioritize?Assistant: If you know you will be attending in Fall 2017, I personally would not invest except in CDs or similar to ensure you dont lose money you were relying on for tuition.I would definitely maintain the 4 contribution to get the 2 of salary match from the employer. If you are single with a 75k income, without seeing your budget, there should be room to maintain the match and also save for the MBA enrollment.Also, for every MBA success story, there are those who cannot find jobs or enter a less-favorable job market after their MBA. You also have to weigh increased earnings as an MBA against lost earnings during your enrollment.Human: Isnt it better to put the money into a 529 so that I can possibly get an interest? Are there better options other than 529 for about a two-year time horizon?I hope that there is a way that I could make more and the post-MBA starting salary accounts for good return on investment of the full time MBA program.  <response>: You could put it in a 529 and select very low-risk options, but I wouldnt buy the market because if the market takes a dive and loses 25, youre stuck. That is, if you had a retirement account that was diversified but higher risk and you lost 20 of the value in a bad year, you could postpone your retirement by one year. With this fund, if it loses 20 in a bad year, youre still enrolling in the MBA program in Fall 2017 and have to just do without that money. 