Retimernt vs debt. what to choose

Discussion Board - 20SU Personal Finance (BUS-110-2013) Michelle Singletary of The Washington Post wrote in her column previously, figuring out whether to use your next dollar to pay down debt or fund retirement is often a tough challenge. The not-so simple answer to the question is that you should be paying down your debt and adding money to your retirement funds - but that is much easier said than done. So, she encourages you to consider some other factors to figure out what works best - age, for one. If you're young and have "decades" until retirement, it may be okay to hit the pause button on 401(k) contributions to focus on paying down high-interest debt. But, if your employer is offering a company match on your retirement contributions, no matter your debt, you should be contributing enough to meet that match. Remember: When you're paying off a debt, the return on your money is equal to the interest rate. But nothing beats the 50% return you often get on a matched 401(k). MacBook Air