Investing while paying down debts

[Garrett Johnson]

Hello, I’ve been listening to the bigger pockets podcasts for a while, and it seems that Brandon, Mindy, Scott, and David always encourage getting involved. That said, I made an account and have a question.

There always seems to be debate about investing early to capitalize on compounding interest vs paying off debt ASAP.

I have a significant student loan debt but my wife and I have been able to put ourselves in position to pay it off in a little over a year from now (using about 50-60% of our combined incomes to pay down loans).

I don't have a job that matches in a 401k, but I have a Roth IRA. I've contributed 3k this year so far, so 50%. I have relatively few other assets at age 31 (less than 20k).

I do have interest in real estate, so trying to learn more as advised by the podcasts...particularly because I don’t currently work where I live and want to buy property. I do short term contract work around the country.

Any recommendations to help pursue real estate or other investment options?

Thanks in advance!