<prompt> Human: Hi PF - this is a question that may come down to personal preference, but Id love to hear everyones take.Im 26 years old, making roughly 50kyr in a stable biotech job. After three years, I love the area I live in, jobs in my field are plentiful, and its looking like it might make sense to buy a house here. Small homes in this area are currently in the 150k - 200k range. While I am working successfully! on cutting back in the spending department to help save for a down payment, it occurred to me that I could get there faster if I move my retirement savings in that direction for a while. nbsp;Those all-important stats:Salary: 50kyrEmergency fund savings: 7,300 4-5 months of current expensesRetirement savings in Roth 401k: 28,700Relatively new 2013 car paid off 8 months agoNo debt student loans, credit cards, etcnbsp;For the past three years, I have been contributing 10 to my Roth 401k. My employer matches 4 and I was immediately vested. Im not interested in taking any of the money out of this account, but have considered changing my contributions from 10 to 4, and putting the remaining 6 into savings for a down payment. For a period of 2 years, does it make sense to take the 6 above my company match that was being saved for retirement and instead save it toward a down payment?Assistant: Here is how I look at it. Figure 10 Roth contribution is like 12.5 gross including 15 Fed 5 state taxes paid 4 match in pre-tax 16.5 gross savings rate equivalent. Personally, I wouldnt want my retirement savings rate to be any lower than that. Maybe down to 15 gross pre-tax equivalent. I know this sounds stupid I make less than you and also 26, but can you earn more money or spend less to save cash for a house down-payment, or wait a little longer to buy a house? It is easier to borrow money to buy a house than to borrow money to fund retirement. I might be a little cautious, but if it were me, Id think long and hard before cutting retirement contributions.Human: Im cautious too! The biggest financial advice drilled into my head by my parents was always save as much as humanly possible for retirement, so thats what Ive been doing. However, theyre also people who had their first down payment drop into their lap, so that solidly colors their opinion. Makes it hard to decide something like this rationally vs emotionally. Making more money is solidly in the works as well. Im finally buying into the idea that, although I love my current job, the best way to make an income jump is to leave.  <response>: Retirement money doesnt have to be in a retirement plan. Look at it this way, people making 200K, 500K a year dont have the option of putting 15 into a retirement account. But, they can still save 15 for retirement. Theres a lot of advantage of having some retirement money outside a time locked account. After all, your 401K and IRA are going to have mandatory withdrawals, potentially reversing some of those tax savings. 