My wife and I have taught in Alabama public schools for the past 2 years and have made (forced) contributions to the state retirement system in that time frame. Together, we've got around $8,000 invested in the state retirement system. Realizing the limited income prospects for career teachers, we both applied and were accepted to a top 25 law school on full-tuition scholarship. My question to you is this: For my retirement account, I have the option of either a) taking a lump-sum payment of the $8,000, minus 20 percent in federal income tax, or b) rolling it over into a 401(k), IRA, or similar long-term savings plan. Should I take the money and run, or should I start building a retirement nest egg while I'm financing the rest of my life with borrowed money? Alex, Montgomery, AL

My wife and I recently refinanced our home. We paid off the home equity line and the existing mortgage, and now our monthly payments are $500 less than they were previously. What should we do with these savings? Thank you. Jeff, Amherst, MA

I just graduated from law school and found the perfect job for me. Unfortunately, it does not offer a 401(k). I have a number of old 401(k)s from previous jobs, including a few that have been rolled over into Roth IRAs. Because I was in school for 3 years, I haven't been adding to my retirement saving for that period, thinking I could "make it up." To top it all off, my husband and I now make in excess of the maximum for IRA contributions. How should I be saving for retirement at this point? Jane, Los Angeles, CA