CUT DEBT NOW, SAVE LATER: Sometimes whittling down credit-card balances trumps saving for retirement

摘要

RON WANTS TO DO ALL HE can to make sure he's financially secure after he leaves the military in about eight years. Currently a critical-care nurse at Malcolm Grow Medical Center at Andrews Air Force Base (the home field of Air Force One), he hopes to quit his job entirely or work only part-time once he's a civilian. Understandably, Ron is worried that he isn't socking away enough. He also frets over $40,000 of credit-card debt, which he says mushroomed because of legal expenses involved in a divorce. "I'm torn between saving for retirement and paying off my debt," says Ron.