Save For Your Retirement Add $50,000, $100,000 or even $500,000 to Your Retirement Savings Your personal savings are one of the four building blocks of a financially secure retirement along with your company's retirement plan, your IRA and Social Security. The amounts you will receive from those last three sources are somewhat out of your control. Social Security benefits are based on your wages, your IRA contributions are limited and your employer's retirement plan may limit what you can contribute. However, you have complete control over your personal savings. Determining exactly how much you need to save for retirement can be complicated. To do the perfect calculation, you need to know your level of expenses during retirement, your future tax rates, the future returns on your assets and ultimately how long you are going to live. With all these uncertainties, the thought of doing the calculation can be daunting. Having More is Better than Having Less Even without an exact calculation, it is probably safe to assume that you want to accumulate more funds so you can enjoy the type of retirement lifestyle you want. Here is one simple idea that may give you some motivation to do something you know you should be doing - saving more. Saving Early and Often is Under Your Control The keys to accumulating a larger retirement nest-egg are to start early, save often and earn competitive returns on your funds. If you are 35 years old and plan to retire at age 65 (30 years to save), you can accumulate and additional $250,000 by saving $300 per month (assuming an earnings rate of 5%). Use the calculator to how much you need to save each month to have more when you retire. Save to increase your retirement nest-egg Amount you want to save before you retire $ Interest rate you expect to earn % How many years until retirement Monthly savings needed Interest is compounded monthly. This calculator is to be used for estimation purposes only. The financial institution is not responsible for its accuracy and the results are not guaranteed. Start Your Automatic Savings Today There is no easier way to save than with an automatic savings plan. If you are already using direct deposit for your paycheck, have your financial institution transfer the amount each month. You can also have your employer deduct the amount each month and deposit into the account of your choice with a payroll deduction program. Ask your employer for the form to start now.