<prompt> Human: My job has a pretty good 401k plan matches dollar-for-dollar up to 537; of my 80k salary, but it doesnt kick in until my 6 month anniversary at the company. Im 23 years old and this is my first job out of college, and I have 32k of loans to pay off.Would it be better for me to just aggressively pay down my loans for the next 6 months, then start saving for retirement when my 401k kicks in? Or should I try to open some retirement account and contribute to that for the next 6 months as well? Im not sure whether that is even an option Thanks for the help! EDIT: my biggest loan is around 16k at 637; interest. I have two smaller ones that are between 4-537; and the rest are under 437;.  <response>: 1. You could put excess into an IRA. 2. You could put excess into a savings account. Once the 6 months is up, put the contribution rate temporarily at a high number, and live off of the savings account rather than salary. Do this if you company does a lump-sum 401k match. 3. Or you could pay down your debt. Which is the best really depends on your risk tolerance and which situation is the most advantageous from a taxing perspective. 