New Graduate: Invest in Real Estate or Invest in 401k and RothIRA

[Paige A.]

Hello everyone, I am a recent graduate from college with a job that is paying decently well, approximately mid five figures. I have saved a lot from working throughout college and have approximately 20K in savings. As I begin to pave my way to financial freedom, I have been met with the question of investing in a real estate deal first or focus solely on 401k and a ROTH IRA. According to a financial planner, if I invest in both 401k and ROTH IRA at approximately $800 dollars a month I will be able to retire by 63. This sounds like a substantial money each month and the payoff would be around 40 years away. To be honest, I would like to achieve a level of financial freedom sooner than later. I would love to hear from others about their approach to this dilemma. Do you invest in both? Did you make your first real estate deal before opening an account? Or have you had success with only focusing on real estate? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!