<prompt> Human: Hi PF, I am a 23 year old graduate working part time and I have just received a final payment of nearly 50,000 from a child investment plan that I didnt know about. Im very lucky to have been given this and plan to spend it wisely. Im currently weighing up options on what to do! What I think my options at the moment are, I can pay off my student debt completely to avoid interest which is between 1.5-2 depending on the year and invest or I can invest all my money except about 10,000 for an emergency fund. The second option also including me having mandatory repayments to my loan when I have a full time job but incurring the interest payments over the years.Also maybe an important factor I have to take into consideration is that I may be losing my part-time job because of shift cutting and I could potentially be going back to study again.Thanks for advice in advance. Edit: Lump sum.Thank you everyone for taking the time to write out your advice. Hearing these thoughts from other people definitely helps the situation. Instead of what some of you think and paying for a better education because I cant spell, I will probably pay off the loan in full. Debt free 2017!  <response>: Its a personal choice. I personally would pay off the student debt for peace of mind then save the rest. Max out 2016 and 2017 IRA contributions 11k then keep the rest as an emergency fund.Its definitely not an optimal strategy, but starting your adult life with a clean slate no debt is something highly underrated. 