I thought the same thing. My strategy was just to pay down loans as quickly as possible before putting money in stocks outside of retirement accounts. A flat

I thought the same thing. My strategy was just to pay down loans as quickly as possible before putting money in stocks outside of retirement accounts. A flat year in the market doesn't make the OP's strategy worth it, not to mention a decline. Even in a really good year, $2500 isn't a huge amount to offset gains.