 TITLE: How to Plan for Retirement CONTENT: Start Saving Immediately\n------------------------\nIf you haven't started saving for retirement yet, now is the best time to do it—before the years start slipping away. This applies whether you're in your 30s, 40s or 50s and even if you're nearing the traditional retirement age of 65.\nBy age 30, it's smart to have an emergency fund with enough to cover three to six months' worth of living expenses. Once you've set aside some money in your emergency fund (even if it's not fully funded), start saving money for retirement, especially if you don't have any retirement savings yet.\nOnce you hit the 40-year mark, your emergency fund should be well-established, and you should have some savings in a tax-deferred retirement account such as a 401(k) sponsored by your employer or an IRA that you set up on your own.\nAt age 50, you should have a healthy stockpile of money for retirement and, of course, a fully funded emergency fund.\nRegardless of your age, if you have no money saved for retirement, today is the day you should get started. Of course, everyone's circumstances are different, but keep in mind that retirement can last for 30 years or more.\nSaving even a small amount of money per month can bring you closer to achieving your retirement goals. Assuming an annual return of 6%, saving just $50 a month will put you at $3,506 in five years. Bump that up to $500 a month at 6%, and you're looking at 10 times that amount—$35,059—over a five-year period. Investment experts usually recommend carving out at least 15% of your gross income to put toward retirement. END