 TITLE: Investing 101: How to Start Investing CONTENT: Invest in Your Retirement\n-------------------------\n*   Even if you can't invest very much, you should start investing in a retirement account as soon as you have a steady income. Financial experts generally suggest putting at least 10% to 15% of your pretax income into your retirement account. If you started putting $20 a month into a retirement account at age 25 and earned 10% interest a year on average, by age 65 you'd have $107,127.40. Wait until you're 35, though, and at 65 you'd only have $39,827.55.\n*   Contribute to your employer-sponsored retirement plan. Many employers offer a 401(k) or 403(b) plan, which allows you to invest part of your pretax income for retirement. If your employer matches your contribution, put in at least enough to get the full matching amount.\n*   If you don't have access to a company-sponsored retirement plan, consider setting up an individual retirement account (IRA) through a bank, credit union, investment firm or mutual fund company.\n    *   A **traditional IRA** lets you contribute pretax or after-tax dollars. Contributions grow tax-deferred; withdrawals are taxed after age 59½.\n    *   A **Roth IRA** lets you contribute after-tax dollars. The money grows tax-free; you usually can withdraw money after age 59½ with no taxes or penalties. END