A recent study conducted by a life insurance research group has found that taking out only $30,000 worth of student debt, only a little higher than the $28,000 national average, can lead to as much as $325,000 less in retirement savings in the long term, according to CNBC. The problem, according to the study, is that one's 20s and 30s are critical years to begin saving for retirement, but if someone is carrying the albatross of student debt payments around their neck, then they're much less likely to do so. Paying down the loan (itself no small feat) takes priority. Much like how early savings can build on themselves over decades to produce a decent nest egg, forgoing saving because of loan payment means there's less money invested in retirement, and less time for those investments to build value, making a huge difference in growth.