When should I start saving for retirement and how do I do it?

Question

I'm 24 yrs old and I've been thinking about opening up a retirement plan. But I dont know what to look for. Any suggestions would be great! I am a freelance interpreter so my employment does not offer one.

Answer 1

Start now!  You'll be 65 before you know it.  Never too soon to start.  You might consider a ROTH I.R.A. because of the tax sheltering it provides you.

Answer 2

Start saving now, the earlier you start, the more secure you will be and the less you end up having to put in in the long run.

Open a 401K at your local bank and then start reading up on our options. Once the money is in the account, you can always move it to another account or even a different type of retirement account later. The most important part is to start.

Answer 3

Start now! In fact, a financial advisor could be of great help to you.  I used to think financial advisors were for people with money. They actually help you get money. I went to one . It cost me $600.00 for a year, but it was soooooo worth it.

Answer 4

Congratulations on being smart enough to start planning now! You will be a millionaire when you retire because you are starting early.  If you contribute the maximum each year to a Roth IRA and the IRA makes an average return of 7%, then when you are 66 years old, you will have over $1.2 million dollars.

Answer 5

Start saving now.

At your age, the first thought would be opening a Roth IRA.  In the Roth, the investments you make are after-tax (i.e., you don't get to put down a lower income on your tax form), but the earnings compound tax-free and you won't have to pay income tax on withdrawals in retirement.  The current limit is $5000 each tax year for people under 50.

Pick something solid and diversified that you can keep the money in for a very long time.  The easiest thing (and a very smart thing) is to open a Roth IRA at Vanguard

http://www.vanguard.com

and put your investments in that account into a target retirement fund designed specifically for people your age, the Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 (VFIFX) fund:

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=VFIFX

Answer 6

If you are self-employed, look into an IRA.

Answer 7

start now!!!

do it in little bits- say $25 per month after the intial account amount.  it all adds up over the long haul.

Answer 8

Wanna know a little secret?  You're already late.  Retirement is going to be a problem for you youngsters.  Go to www.vanguard.com or www.troweprice.com and start an IRA.  Look for their recommendations for a growth stock fund or, maybe even better, an international stock fund with a very good history.  The economy in the US is bad and looks as though it will get much worse before it gets better.

  (Kinda wish someone had given me this advice YEARS ago.)