[HDPM]

It looks like many will disagree on this. IMO this is not a question of 3% or whatever ev either way. This is a question about how you want to live, your future, and freedom. That means pay the loan off now. Investments go bad, your income might go bad, etc... If you are debt free and have some money in the bank, you can go do what you want. You can also build wealth as you go. Invest your monthly student loan payment or whatever. Until you get that loan paid you have a problem. It isn't dischargeable in bankruptcy I am pretty sure (not legal advice disclaimer, etc....), it doesn't carry great tax advantages, although some is deductible, and limits you in all kinds of ways. If you choose to buy real estate, you will have 2 payments assuming you get a mortgage and assuming you don't pay the student loan.

So I know if the after tax theoretical return on an investment is a few points higher than the interest on the student loan, many will argue that you should keep the debt. Except there is a big, big difference in life between having a debt you can't sell or discharge, having a monthly payment, and being debt free.

You are too young and in too good a position it sounds like to shackle yourself with debt of you don't have to. Sounds like you will have 20K left over if you pay the debt. I would pay the loan, put some in the bank, invest the rest, and add to the investments each month. Then if you decide to buy real estate you will be in a much better position to do it. The coming years might be a good time to buy given all the forclosures. Learn from the people losing their house. Don't carry any other debt if you can avoid it and don't go overboard on mortgage debt either. You will get the same arguments about whether to pay your house off or invest and the same talk about comparing percentages of return vs. interest. But owning a house allows you more freedom than financing one. Not saying don't finance and I'm certainly not saying buy a house instead of investing. Long term you want to own your home and have investments, right? So start. Dump the debt IMO.