<prompt> Human: Im completely confused as to how an Roth IRA can possibly benefit my wife and I...Ill invest 2000 here and there up to my max per year and some months the value of it will jump very high, and other months it will be less value then I even have in it. With that in mind, I would assume I want to invest when its low and pull it out years from now when I retire. However is there a better way to save money for retirement then gambling that my money will be high value when I need it? it would seem that I could simply save my money in a savings account, wait till Im older and throw it in an mid aggressive roth IRA on the low swing, and then pull it out on the high. With that being said, other then the max yearly allowed amount why not do it that way? Lot of great advice! Thanks looks like my dad was just clueless in investing when he helped me set up my Roth IRA. Ill be making some changes and it looks like Ill be getting better returns for my investments Assistant: Save my money in a savings account, wait till Im older and throw it in a mid aggressive roth IRA on the low swingThis is the riskiest strategy you could have aside from betting on winning the lottery.Keep in mind that good, growth stock mutual funds will grow at an average of around 10 per year. If you sit the money in a Roth and leave it there for over 10 years, you will start to see that growth. Yes, after your retire, your mutual funds might lose value for a year or two, but overall, they should grow at an average of 10 per year.Human: well then considering my stock has a historical growth, but in the last 10 years has kept about the same average... what would you say is a good fund to invest in? I know investing is at my own risk :P  <response>: The Three-Fund Portfolio is a good place to start. Alternatively, you can just invest in a target retirement fund to simplify things. 