Investing

Do you need this money back soon or is it considered "for retirement"?

Liquidity needed? If not as stated above Roth is a slam dunk and you can dollar cost average into on monthly basis - balanced mutual fund - typically minimum to buy mutual fund is 1K

It's hard to go wrong with a Roth. Normally the argument for a 401(k) instead is that some employers have matching plans where they give you free money, but you said you don't have that option so the Roth is better.

BTW, unlike a 401(k) you can withdraw money from a Roth at any time, tax-free and with no penalty. The reason why is that the money going into the Roth was already taxed. So you can always get back whatever you've contributed at no charge. However, any income above that amount you still can't take out early without penalties and such.

Example: You contributed $10000 over three years, and the current balance is $10100. You can withdraw $10000 at any time without penalty so you can play online poker.

The drawback is that if you pull it out and decide you didn't need it, you can still only contribute the annual maximum. That can be a big deal if you take out a lot.