I could pay off my 78,00 student loans in 2 years, but I have another financial goal that's more important

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I currently have about 78,000 of student loan debt, and if I put all my extra cash towards my loans every month, I could pay it off by 2022.

I ran the numbers, though, and decided to put what I can towards my loans about 1,400 a month while investing in my retirement savings, too.

My loans should be paid off by 2025, and I'll still come out with 20,000 more than I would if I'd paid them off sooner.

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My student loans stress me out, and I know I'm not alone: About 63 of job seekers are willing to give up paid time off in exchange for help paying off student debt.

Despite that, paying off my student loans isn't my #1 financial priority I'm focused on saving for retirement instead. Here's why:See the rest of the story at Business InsiderNOW WATCH: A 45-year-long study discovered trends in successful hyper-intelligent childrenSee Also:I rolled over my retirement accounts to gain more control over my savings, and it wasn't as hard as I'd thoughtWhen my freelance career started picking up, I looked into getting pre-approved for a mortgage. It wasn't nearly as complicated as I thought.3 pieces of advice a 64-year-old retiree says would have made retirement easier had he known at 35

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