Offer your thoughts or opinion on the input financial query or topic using your financial background.

What are my tax-advantaged investment options at a university job?
Yes. Two years after your first contribution to the SIMPLE IRA, you can roll it to a traditional IRA.  You can still contribute "pre-tax", but the mechanism will be slightly different, since with an employer plan the contribution was automatically deducted from your paycheck.  With an individual plan, you make the contributions yourself and then get a tax deduction when you file.  Since contributions to traditional and Roth IRAs combined are capped at $5,500 if you're under 50, some sort of employer-sponsored plan might be better from a contribution standpoint. If your institution offers some sort of plan other than a 401(k), you might still want to roll to a traditional IRA, since you will have much more flexibility in the investments you choose. On the flip side, if that thought is overwhelming, having a smaller set of options might be better for your peace of mind.