Wanting to hear some opinions on my situation and any changes I can make for the better.   A little background 24 years old have very little debt roughly 3k which will be paid off soon.  I have a 6 month EF and a job that pays mid 40's.  My question is they do not offer any matching on their 457 plan and the cheapest expense ratio is 1.66%.  I have about $4,500 in this fund before I stopped contributing and opened a Roth with Vanguard.  Unfortunately with the policy at work I can't move the money out of the 457 until I leave which hopefully won'tbe for a ling time. My thought is with Vanguard having such a low expense 0.18% should I continuing contributing to the Roth and forget about the 457 or max the Roth first and any money left over put into the 457?   Thanks

Edit: I should add I have Target Date Funds in both accounts to keep things simple for me.

Speaking as a FORMER trader at Fidelity, I would load up on the Roth as best you can due to the tax treatment of your gains over time. If you are getting Zero match from employer and higher expenses, I see no real benefit to you. Only your 457 custodian is making money on your money. You might look into rolling over the 457 into your Roth. Good on you for saving NOW, when your money has the longest time to earn (potentially). That being said, there might be other benefits a 457 provides that I am not aware of, or have forgotten about.
Lastly, see "Investing for Dummies" ymmv

regardless:
First fund your Vanguard IRA account to the maximum amount.  If you have any additional funds to put away for retirement beyond that then you can consider the 457b.

Considering that you have a 457b available you should have another retirement scheme already in place.  Is it a Pension?  403b?  Something else?

Very important question:
Is your employer government or non-government?  There is a difference in the 457b.

Government and I have a pension plan in place.

Great.  A governmental 457b isn't subject to creditors of your employer, if you worked for a Non-Profit it's possible that if the corporation went bankrupt you could lose your money.  Not a concern for you.

As I previously stated, your Vanguard IRA is the best place to start with any retirement investments beyond your pension contributions.
I also work for government with an available 457b.  My pension has a defined contribution, I then max out my rIRA contributions, and my extra investable cash goes in to my 457b.  

I just put enough in to my 457b to keep my marginal tax rate below 25%.  Next year I won't have to contribute anything to achieve that level, as I should be married sometime next year and my fiance will drop our average income plenty low enough.  My 457b has decently high expense ratios, but not quite as bad as what you are seeing.  Either way, the tax deference alone may be worth it - it will take some careful analysis to determine that.  For me it was a clear cut win for several reasons, but your situation may be totally different.

Just from what I see here and the information you have given, I would concentrate on maxing out the rIRA.  Depending on your situation after that you can put a few bucks towards the 457b, but I wouldn't worry about putting too much in that direction unless it's just extra cash that you don't need.

Thanks for informative replies. Sounds like iI should keep tracking in the same direction with a few minor adjustments down the road. Thanks again