Please start at my introductory page if you have not already
The cornerstone to any good retirement is saving money. However, for many people this is a hard task because at the end of the month they find themselves with little to no money left over. Saving is a disciplined strategy that you will have to turn into a habit, and you don't even have to turn to stock market investing to watch your savings grow.
The best way to start saving up money is to start a direct deposit to a savings account. If your entire paycheck goes into your checking account per month, do the following. Create a free savings account (one with a good rate. Shop around) and have $50-$100 go into that account per paycheck. This is important because the money never goes into your checking account and is not threatened with being spent. Make sure this account is not easily accessible and decline any offers for them to send you a debit card if possible (if they do just cut it up). This will keep your urges from spending the money down because it will be harder to get to. In five months you will have saved up $250-$500. Congratulations, you are well on your way.
Now, once you have built up a reasonable sum of money (3-6 months worth of emergency funds in the event you lose your job), start a free IRA (individual retirement account) and have your direct deposit go into that account every month.
Or find out how to initiate a 401k rollover to an IRA.
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Next: The power of retirement accounts
