ignore all the horrible, inane, foolish, stupid advice you have been given here. There is plenty of real estate wisdom here but it appears the personal financial planning advice is lame (some bordering on dangerous).
MAXIMIZE your 401(k) contribution — which means shoot for the $15,500 IRS pre-tax limit, and THEN pick the investment fund that matches your risk/return profile at this time, and modify your investment strategy as necessary over time.
Period. No discussion necessary.
You should also max out your Roth IRA contribution (if you fall below the phaseout).
