6 gy VA 1 UNOMaLC vyo hey, vil v A + wy x6 A ~ vi NVES INGV hy 2% YA t WH 4 WA MAXILOID 1A Q! Inlerim i 14 sf OM. M \q'/ VIS , 4 Investing May Not BeAsDifficult As You Think—Start With Just $100 track different sectors or indexes but trade in real time just like stocks. For example, the SPDR— (knownas a Spider) tracks the S&P 500 index. There are even ETFs that track the entire stock market. Steady is the key Regular investing is a key to reaching your goals. If you’re serious about a saving and investing (NAPSA)—When it comes to investing for retirement, starting small is better than not starting at all. Fortunately, starting an investment program doesn’t necessarily take a lot of money or time. The most important step is to get started. Take a look at that takeout meal on your desk. It may not look like $100,000, but consider this— if you put just $7 per day toward a retirement plan with a 7.5 percent strategy, continue to save that rate of return, in 20 years your retirement savings would total $101,853. Brownbag yourretirement Takeout lunch or a more comfortable retirement? For many, the path to investing starts by identifying a few small, personal sacrifices that can mean the difference between investing in a more com- fortable futureor not. Try this experiment for a month and see if you can’t find 100 extra dollars in your budget. At the end of each day, empty your pockets (or clean out your coin purse) into a change jar. There’s bound to be enough jingling around in there to add up to $30 at month’s end. Once or twice each week, plan to bring your lunch instead of ordering up the $7 takeout special. There’s around $40 found. And save the fancy espresso drinksfor a special weekend treat. During the week, go Experts say if you put just $7 per day toward a retirementplan with a 7.5 percent rate of return, in 20 years your retirement savings could total over $100,000. with a strong cup of drip coffee. On the conservative side, that’s an easy $30 saved. Start small, think big Now that you have $100, instead of blowing it on dinner out, start investing. Certain online brokers, such as ShareBuilder.com, have no account minimumsand charge as little as $4 to invest. Commissions such as that can makeit affordable—and easier—to get in the game. There is a way for those with a smaller lump sum—suchas that $100—to get started building a diversified portfolio by using Exchange Traded Funds, or ETFs. ETFs are investment vehicles that $100 every month and start an automatic investing plan. Services such as ShareBuilder allow you to set up a program and contribute a set amount on a regular basis. Even if you don’t remember to makeit happen, the money will be automatically transferred from your checking or savings account so it can be invested. No timelike the present People often hesitate or postpone their investments because they think it’s not the right time to invest. In reality, it’s always a good time. Studies have shown that an investor whotries to time the market will not perform as well as a buy-and-hold investor. Once you get started investing, keep at it. Review your invest- ments periodically and make sure they are on track with your set goals. The hardest part was just getting started, but discipline is key to building wealth over the long term. To learn more, visit www.sharebuilder.com.
