<prompt> Human: Hello rpersonalfinanceMy fiance just graduated and got a job in my town, but her company doesnt offer any kind of investment opportunities, not even a 401k. We are both intelligent and well educated people, she is a Doctor of Optometry and Im a Structural Engineer, but we are downright noobs when it comes to finances. I checked the FAQs here and read up on investment strategies, but Im still not sure which would be best when planning her retirement. I work for the federal government so I have a TSP in the lowest risk category because I dont know what Im doing, and she wants to contribute 1000mo to some kind of retirement for her. What do you think our best option is? Is hiring a professional a good or bad move? EDITS: I own a condo We wont be married until 2015 Her income is 90,000yr, mine is 75,000yr. She receives a W2 from her employer She has a student loan of around 200k to be paid off in 10 years at a fixed 6.8 interest rate Im 27 and she is 25Assistant: No one asked about student loans ... does she have any? If so, her extra 1000month might be better spent paying those off.Human: Yes she does, but I didnt mention it because after we break down the budget we have decided 1000mo into retirement is a very realistic goal.Assistant: Right, but if her loans are at 7 she can get an immediate 7 return just by paying the loan. Thats less risky than the market and comparable return. Her money, her choice, but check out the interest rates. If you arent sure the market can beat that, why gamble on it?Human: Since the loan is around 200k, it cannot be simply paid off. Her interest rate is around 7. I assume you mean throw as much money into it as possible instead of putting the money towards savings or retirement, so she wont have the loan for the full 10 years. Are you certain thats really better than not putting anything into an investment for the next 8ish years until its paid off? That would mean losing those years on the compound interest from the investment.  <response>: I assume you mean throw as much money into it as possible instead of putting the money towards savings or retirement, so she wont have the loan for the full 10 years.Yep. Are you certain thats really better than not putting anything into an investment for the next 8ish years until its paid off? That would mean losing those years on the compound interest from the investment.Yep, but it also means losing the compound interest on the debt, which is a guaranteed 7 vs the markets average 8 with large variance. General rpf advise is to throw money at debt before retirement savings if the interest rate is over 4-5. 7 is well into that category. 