Starting out
Just starting to invest? Don’t know where to begin? We’ve gathered the most useful resources from this website to help you get started.
What you need to know
-
Before making investment decisions, it’s important to learn the fundamentals of mutual funds, as well as their associated risks and benefits.
-
What are 401(k)s and other salary deferral plans?
Employer-sponsored salary deferral plans make investing for retirement easy.
-
Why participate in a salary deferral plan?
You can’t rely on Social Security alone to cover your retirement needs. Learn how an employer-sponsored retirement plan can help.
-
Starting to save today — rather than waiting — is key to reaching your retirement goals.
-
Finding the right balance of risk and reward is essential to helping you meet your long-term goals. Learn how to get comfortable with these elements of investing.
-
Even if you’re getting a late start on saving for retirement, there may still be time to build up your nest egg.
Build your retirement savings strategy using our sample portfolios as a guide.
Another plan option: Roth 401(k)/403(b)Does your retirement plan accept Roth contributions? Learn more about the Roth option.
Saving outside your planBesides your retirement plan, there are other tax-deferred investment options to consider, from IRAs to variable annuities to special college savings programs.
Get a snapshot of how much you might need in retirement and whether your savings plan could get you to your goal. Then use the roadmap to help you decide how to invest your contributions. (Or use the Retirement planning calculator for more detailed results.)
When deciding how much to contribute to a retirement plan, this calculator shows how pretax payroll deductions affect your take-home pay.
Tax-deferred investment calculator
Compare the growth rate of a tax-deferred investment with a taxable one.
Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the American Funds. This and other important information is contained in each fund’s summary prospectus and prospectus, which can be obtained from your plan’s financial professional or downloaded and should be read carefully before investing.