Retirement or student loans?

[rrfernan]

Hello everyone. This is my first post. I need some advice on whether I should max out my Roth IRA or pay down my student loans ASAP. Here are some details:

Will be starting new job at $55/yr
They offer 0.5 employee match up to 5% for 401K
I have $1000 for an emergency fund (will put 10% of each paycheck on here)
Contributed $2000 so far in my Roth IRA Index Fund for Wells Fargo
Student loans are $73,926.68 ranging between 5.41% - 6.8%
I live with my girlfriend and two roommates so my rent is $450/mo
No credit card debt.

Any help would be appreciated. My loans are due in February but I'm starting to pay off a little now.

[labrat]

The interest rate and balance are high so you should pay the loan off ASAP.

I have a student loan ~7.5K remaining (was ~15K originally) @ 6.5% and I'm throwing all unspent money on it so that it is paid off by February. Then I can start pumping money into my Roth and tIRA, and 401K :)

[thedayisbrave]

I would contribute up to the match on the 401K then throw any extra toward the student loan.  If you list out your total monthly expenses we could help you figure out ways to cut down spending (if you want) that could put you on the fast track toward knocking that SL debt out.