Investing goals
Retirement
Retirement savings
Get the basics: Saving for retirement
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Get the basics: Saving for retirement
Saving for retirement might be the most important thing you ever do with your money. And the earlier you begin, the less money it will take!
Don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place
You probably have a lot of questions about saving for retirement. How much will I need? What year will I retire? What are the best ways to save for retirement?
The good news is that you don't need to figure everything out right now. The most important thing to do is to get started. Here are 3 simple steps you should take today:
Find the right kind of account for your savings.
Choose the investments for your account.
Open your account online.
Find the right retirement account for you
Want some help?
We’re standing by to answer your questions and help you make a plan to save for retirement. Just give us a call at 888-387-5539.
Got questions?
We’ve got answers! Here are some of the most common things people ask us about retirement savings.
When it comes to preparing for retirement, there are a lot of things you can’t control—the future of Social Security, tax rates, and inflation, for example. But one big thing that you can control is the amount you save.
Find out why saving for retirement is so critical
The earlier you start saving for retirement, the less you’ll need to put away each year. That's why the best time is now.
See when you should start saving for retirement
Saving for retirement should have first priority among your financial goals. Find out the order in which you should approach other goals.
Learn how saving for retirement should fit into your other priorities
That depends on many things, including your lifestyle, your retirement age, and your other sources of retirement income. But for most people, it will probably be a pretty big number—and that's why starting early is so important.
Find out how much you should be saving for retirement
Many people have access to workplace plans (401(k)s, for example) as well as IRAs and general savings accounts. We can help you figure out how to use these accounts to get the most benefit.
Find out which accounts you should use to save for retirement
It’s good to have some basic investing knowledge. And we can teach you the few important things you need to understand. They’re not hard to learn, and they’ll help you save for any goal.
Learn how to save for retirement
Learn more about retirement accounts at Vanguard
We offer several types of accounts you can use to save for retirement. Figure out which one is right for you.
Find the right retirement account for you
Open your account online
We’re here to help
If you're new to Vanguard:
Call 800-252-9578
Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern time
If you're new to Vanguard:
Call 800-888-3751
Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Eastern time
PAYING TOO MUCH FOR OTHER FUNDS?
Compare a non-Vanguard fund with a similar Vanguard fund
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Get more basic mutual fund information
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You’re putting money away for your future, but how do you know if it will be enough?
See if you'll have enough to retire
Roll over your retirement money
Did you leave retirement savings behind at an old job? Get more flexibility and easier money management.
See if a 401(k) rollover is right for you
Open a Vanguard IRA®
Find out how an IRA can help you start saving—and get tax benefits—today!
Learn more about IRAs
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Vanguard funds not held in a brokerage account are held by The Vanguard Group, Inc., and are not protected by SIPC. Brokerage assets are held by Vanguard Brokerage Services, a division of Vanguard Marketing Corporation, member FINRA and SIPC
Vanguard average expense ratio: 0.19%. Industry average expense ratio: 1.03%. Sources: Vanguard and Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company, as of December 31, 2015.
For the 10-year period ended March 31, 2016, 10 of 10 Vanguard money market funds, 46 of 54 Vanguard bond funds, 18 of 18 Vanguard balanced funds, and 112 of 122 Vanguard stock funds—for a total of 186 of 204 Vanguard funds—outperformed their Lipper peer-group averages. Results will vary for other time periods. Only funds with a minimum 10-year history were included in the comparison. Source: Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company. The competitive performance data shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results. View fund performance
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