<prompt> Human: Im currently 22 and have about 26,000 in student loans. The interest rates range from 3.4 to 4.66. I hate the idea of loans so despite the minimum monthly payment being 300, Ive been dumping 1300 a month into them thanks to living at home. Should I continue pouring money into my loans and being debt free in 2 years? Or should I max out my Roth IRA each year and then dump the rest of the money into loans?  <response>: Math would dictate to max out the IRA. Two years of contributions means you lose 11,000 in principal. At 6.5 rate of return over 30 years, you lose over 60k in interest. However, personal finance is just that, personal. What is important to you? If you highly value being debt free, pay off the loans as there are benefits to that approach as well. Such as needed a smaller emergency fund or being more financially able to survive lower paying jobs you find enjoyable. 