So I definitely wish I was more open and forward-thinking in my college years.

Hard proponents of retirement savings would argue that it’s one exception to the rule of flexibility, because you DON’T want to be able to access that money very easily. You can subscribe to that approach, as it may work well in some cases.

Personally, however, I like to know I can at tap into the money as a last resort. From a standpoint of accessibility and red tape, the Roth IRA is probably the easiest of the vehicles I own (not counting just your standard savings account). The 401(k) can be tough to get money quickly, because you’re often at the mercy of your employer and/or accounts manager on how fast that gets processed.

Don’t forget–you can tap Roth IRA money without penalties for things like house down payments, medical expenses and other big ticket items, which gives you a LOT of flexibility. Ultimately, you’ll need to balance how much is being saved in a tax-advantaged account vs. what’s sitting in a taxable, immediately available savings/investment account.