 TITLE: When Is the Best Time to Start Saving for Retirement? CONTENT: Where Should I Put My Retirement Savings?\n-----------------------------------------\nTax-favored retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs are good places to start when you're seeking places to put your retirement savings. Employers sponsor 401(k) plans and may even match your contributions up to a certain percentage of your income. IRAs are retirement accounts you open on your own.\nRetirement accounts rely on investments to grow your contributions over time. They may use various strategies to do so based on the retirement fund manager's judgment and your own comfort level when it comes to risk. Investing involves buying an asset or several that you believe will grow in value over time, which usually means purchasing securities like stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Other kinds of investments include real estate and gold.\nIf you're uncertain about how to approach investing, you might seek advice from a financial advisor. But if you're more comfortable with investing, you might open an online brokerage account on your own or rely on a robo-advisor investing app, such as Betterment.\nBefore making any investment decisions, though, you should look at your financial situation. Do you have enough money to cover everyday expenses? Do you have an emergency fund? How much debt do you have? After you answer those questions, decide how much of your money you can spare to allocate toward your retirement fund.\nYou also should scrutinize the current condition of the investment markets and weigh your tolerance for financial risk. Among the risks: The value of your investment portfolio can fluctuate over time, based in part on how stocks, bonds and mutual funds are performing. Many retirement strategies will allow you to adjust your risk level. Making low-risk investments may provide some peace of mind that you're less likely to lose money—but you may miss out on the bigger payoff more risky investments can provide. END