Utilize your financial knowledge, give your answer or opinion to the input question or subject . Answer format is not limited.

Retirement planning 401(k), IRA, pension, student loans
None of your options seem mutually exclusive.  Ordinarily nothing stops you from participating in your 401(k), opening an IRA, qualifying for your company's pension, and paying off your debts except your ability to pay for all this stuff.  Moreover, you can open an IRA anywhere (scottrade, vanguard, etrade, etc.) and freely invest in vanguard mutual funds as well as those of other companies...you aren't normally locked in to the funds of your IRA provider. Consider a traditional IRA.  To me your marginal tax rate of 25% doesn't seem that great.  If I were in your shoes I would be more likely to contribute to a traditional IRA instead of a Roth.  This will save you taxes today and you can put the extra 25% of $5,500 toward your loans.  Yes, you will be taxed on that money when you retire, but I think it's likely your rate will be lower than 25%.  Moreover, when you are retired you will already own a house and have paid off all your debt, hopefully.  You kind of need money now.  Between your current tax rate and your need for money now, I'd say a traditional makes good sense.  Buy whatever funds you want.  If you want a single, cheap, whole-market fund just buy VTSAX.  You will need a minimum of $10K to get in, so until then you can buy the ETF version, VTI.  Personally I would contribute enough to your 401(k) to get the match and anything else to an IRA (usually they have more and better investment options).  If you max that out, go back to the 401(k). Your investment mix isn't that important.  Recent research into target date funds puts them in a poor light. Since there isn't a good benchmark for a target date fund, the managers tend to buy whatever they feel like and it may not be what you would prefer if you were choosing.  However, the fund you mention has a pretty low expense ratio and the difference between that and your own allocation to an equity index fund or a blend of equity and bond funds is small in expectation.  Plus, you can change your allocation whenever you want. You are not locked in. The investment options you mention are reasonable enough that the difference between portfolios is not critical.  More important is optimizing your taxes and paying off your debt in the right order. Your interest rates matter more than term does. Paying off debt with more debt will help you if the new debt has a lower interest rate and it won't if it has a higher interest rate.  Normally speaking, longer term debt has a higher interest rate.  For that reason shorter term debt, if you can afford it, is generally better.  Be cold and calculating with your debt.  Always pay off highest interest rate debt first and never pay off cheap debt with expensive debt. If the 25 year debt option is lower than all your other interest rates and will allow you to pay off higher interest rate debt faster, it's a good idea.  Otherwise it most likely is not.  Do not make debt decisions for psychological reasons (e.g., simplicity).  Instead, always chose the option that maximizes your ultimate wealth.