<prompt> Human: I finished school last may. Working with about 3000 monthly aftertax income. Have been saving 50 a month. Have student loans10000 I am starting to pay off monthly.Should I pay that off right away before I start opening any Roth IRA or invest in anything because I am losing to interest at all time with that debt on my shoulder? My plan is to pay it off asap. Then when I can get 401k matching from my company June 2013, maximize it. If I have any left over money next year, make my first contribution to Roth IRA in 2013. I think thats the right way to go. Just want to have some confidence that it seems reasonable to the rest of you.  <response>: If you are that close to be debt free, just pay it off, the peace of mind alone will allow you to take better chances with your money in a better investing period. 