I am saving and investing like crazy into my work's 401k and Roth IRA to prepare me for retirement, but if I want to retire early then I don't think that I can take my 4% out until I'm old (I'm 24 right now).
Should I start a separate investment with Vanguard where I can have more access to the money? Or should I focus on fully paying off the mortgage on my house? I'd love to hear any and all of the mustachian's advice. :)
seattle cyclone already tackled your assumption that you cannot access money in retirement accounts. I'll address the second question
Yes - its a good idea to have a regular investment account (with Vanguard or any of the brokerages that provide low-cost funds). Broadly speaking you should always make sure you are maxing out your tax-advantaged accounts, but there can be exceptions, like if you want/need to save up for a large purchase and you don't make enough income to fully max out your 401(k) + IRA + HSA (if you have one).
Should you pay down your mortgage first? Well that's always a hot topic around here. My 2¢ - if your mortgage rate is under 4% its in your interest to hold it as long as you can and simply investing everything you can. Having a mortgage can be a great inflation hedge, having a large percentage of your net worth tied up in your home is generally a very bad idea, and historically stocks outpace the 3-4% current mortgage rates over 15-30 year periods by a very large margin.
But for some people there's a psycological issue; some people just are less stressed not having a mortgage (though you will still have the "T+I" - those never go away). Personally, I sleep better knowing I have more in investments. To each their own.
Choose what makes sense for you and makes you the most comfortable.
If you want to read the back-and-forth arguments go here:
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/paying-off-mortgage-early-how-bad-is-it-for-your-fi-date/
