Hey, I’m 22, i wish i would have started saving for retirement like 2-3 years ago, even if it was only several hundred a year.... right now i have a pretty steady job that gives me an apartment for free but its low salary. Idk how long ill be here. They dont have any 401k match at all or anything, so imo, that’s useless.
So (as Dave Ramsey recommends) i thought I’d open a Roth IRA and I’d like to near max out the contribution each year as long as I’m making enough. Beyond that, I’d like to start Investing in mutual funds (And BitCoin) to start having my money work for me.
my main question is where should i open an account at? What are some things I should look for in a company? What kinds of costs for things am i looking at? Ive read articles on Nerdwallet on where to open a IRA, They’ve recommended Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, Scottrade....ETC... there’s a lot of options but im not sure where i want to start or where i should. Any advice for me is appreciated from people who’ve been doing this for a while. Thanks guys! 
You are on the right track. As posted above, any discount brokerage will do a good job for you.
My stuff is at Schwab and Fidelity and I recommend either.
As far as investments, this is not the best forum to look for mentoring or information. MyFico is
great for information on credit topics, but that is the emphasis here. For investment reading I'd
recommend bogleheads.org. They have a wiki there that is extensive and a lot of very knowledgable
and helpful people. Just don't ask questions about credit cards there. Much better here for those
type topics.
+
850 FICO8 since 2015, Thanks MyFICO - 5+ years since last HP
@Gregory1776 wrote:Hey, I’m 22, i wish i would have started saving for retirement like 2-3 years ago, even if it was only several hundred a year.... right now i have a pretty steady job that gives me an apartment for free but its low salary. Idk how long ill be here. They dont have any 401k match at all or anything, so imo, that’s useless.
So (as Dave Ramsey recommends) i thought I’d open a Roth IRA and I’d like to near max out the contribution each year as long as I’m making enough. Beyond that, I’d like to start Investing in mutual funds (And BitCoin) to start having my money work for me.
my main question is where should i open an account at? What are some things I should look for in a company? What kinds of costs for things am i looking at? Ive read articles on Nerdwallet on where to open a IRA, They’ve recommended Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, Scottrade....ETC... there’s a lot of options but im not sure where i want to start or where i should. Any advice for me is appreciated from people who’ve been doing this for a while. Thanks guys!
A Roth IRA will be the best if you're not making much now. Presumably you'll be in a higher tax bracket in about 37 years. Dave Ramsey's advice is, however, not very good advice overall (Here's a prime example: http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-in-the-News/Dave-Ramsey-Ticks-Me-Off/td-p/5047656)
It's good to open it this year so you can get in your $5500 or whatever you are able to contribute. (Note that unlike traditional IRA's, the money isn't all that awful to get out. I'm not a tax advisor so Google it yourself before doing anything, but I'm fairly certain that you can take out what you've contributed with no penalties whatsoever.) I just opened a Roth with Schwab earlier this month. (I have a big thread over here on starting my journey, too: http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Personal-Finance/Where-to-start-investing/td-p/5042371) They're very straightforward and low-cost. They also have a $100 sign-up bonus right now that doesn't require a huge initial contribution -- only the $1000 IRA minimum. (Google "Schwab Refer" for the page on their site.)
They have numerous choices of mutual funds that are low-cost and commision free. (i.e., free to buy and sell. This is all I've bought so far.) The cost ratios on the Schwab funds are also generally lower than the industry average. The S&P 500 index fund is a good example of this, compared to the equivilent from Vanguard, etc. (Note that some funds will charge fees other than the commision and expense ratio. Look into loads, etc. to be careful; Schwab does have many that are no-load no-fee, just read the prospectuses. The other thing that I wasn't aware of when I first started is that some funds add a huge early sell fee if you sell it before a given number of days, usually 90. So just read before you buy.) Buying individual stocks is $4.95/trade, significantly lower than other brokers.