‘I’ve nothing saved for retirement’: I’m 50 and earn $45,000. I don’t have a 401(k) match. Should I put 10% of my salary in a Roth IRA instead?

“That makes the Roth a very attractive option,” he adds. “However, one additional factor to consider given your situation with your student-loan debt and your alma mater is the additional creditor protection provided by a 401(k) over a Roth or traditional IRA.”

The reason: A 401(k) is more secure from creditors than a Roth IRA in the event of a lawsuit or bankruptcy, he notes. Your 401(k) or other employer-based retirement plans may be federally protected in a lawsuit, while IRAs are protected by the states.

“Employer-based retirement plans that are covered under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) — including most 401(k), 403(b) and profit-sharing plans — are protected from seizure by federal law,” according to Experian EXPGF.

“If you are sued for defaulting on credit-card bills, for example, your creditors may not go after your retirement funds regardless of which state you live in,” it says. However, ERISA-qualified retirement funds may be tapped if you owe taxes, child support, alimony or money in a divorce.

Remember: Contributions to a Roth IRA can be withdrawn without a penalty at any time, whereas most withdrawals from a 401(k) will come with a 10% penalty, in addition to the income tax you will need to pay, if you withdraw before the age of 59½.

Sure, some of the world’s richest people did not complete their college education (Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg left Harvard before graduating), while others stayed until they got their degree (like Tesla TSLA Chief Executive Elon Musk and Amazon AMZN founder Jeff Bezos).

But a college education is one of the best ways to acquire the right skills to increase your salary and enter a career where you can earn six figures. What’s less talked about: networking and the social advantage of getting to know other people entering similar fields.

Some career advisers estimate that 70% or more jobs are not even advertised on public forums and are, instead, filled through networking. You did an incredible thing by taking time to go to college, but I’m sorry it was a for-profit college that did not live up to its promise.

Despite paying more money to attend for-profit colleges, research has shown that students from for-profit schools are 11% less likely to be employed than students from nonprofit schools. And these schools are expected to receive less regulatory pressure under a Trump administration.

For all of the above reasons, I’m sorry that — in the face of the financial and practical challenges of going back to school — your alma mater did not fulfill its duty of care. And I’m equally sorry prospective employers may have cast your résumé aside as a result.

But you are clearly someone who does not give up easily: You have applied for student-loan forbearance and you have your eyes on a horizon where you plan to have enough money saved for a comfortable and, I hope, happy retirement.

Related: ‘I have zero regrets’: I’m 84 and estranged from my two adult sons. My 48-year-old wife will get my seven-figure estate. Is that selfish?

The Moneyist regrets he cannot reply to questions individually.

‘Should they divorce so he can qualify for Medicaid?’ My sister inherited $350,000 from her father’s estate, but her husband was diagnosed with dementia.

‘He forced me to take Social Security at 62’: My husband inherited millions, but never gave me a penny. If I divorce him, would I get any of it?

‘My mom still has his original will’: A few months before he died, my father went online and made a secret will, cutting off my mother. Can he do this?