When it comes to investing, getting started is really not all that difficult, in fact it is rather easy. The hard part for many people is the commitment to start planning for your future. The sooner one does this, the better. Because, "It is not when you invest, but how long you have been investing." There are a multitude of reasons why people want to save their money - for college, for a new car, for a house or for early retirement. No matter what the shorter-term reasons for saving, the long-term reason and effect are the same for most folks - planning for the future. When it comes to investing toward future financial goals, many, if not most, people encounter several questions - Why should I start saving now...can't I wait until I'm older and have more money? Isn't a savings or money market account the best way for me to save? Why invest in the stock market - isn't it too risky? There are so many stocks, bonds and mutual funds - how can I figure out which investments are best for me? Why you should start saving now. The answer to this question is really quite simple: the sooner you begin saving your money, the less money you will have to put away regularly to reach your goal. Let's say a person calculated that they needed to save an additional $50,000.00 in order to retire. That person, were they only five years from retirement and assuming they were earning 8% on their money, would need to save a whopping $8,190 per year for that five year period. If that same person started saving twenty years from retirement, assuming the same 8% return on their savings, they would only need to invest $873 per year to reach their goal. The earlier you start saving your money, the better! NEXT PAGE: 1 2 3 4 home about Harbor Investment your account investor exchange portfolio watch investment counsel Securities offered through Capital Investment Group, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC 2530 Riva Road, Suite 312, Annapolis, Maryland (410) 224-6000 © 2009, Harbor Investment Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved.