What percent of income should i save?

say i make 200K a year. w/ taxes and all it comes down to around 100K...what percent of this 100K would a very smart investor save ...

and is it best to put all the saved money in a vanguard mutual fund?w

You Should be maxing out your 401k and IRA contributions then make sure you are debt free except for your mortgage before you consider any other types of investments. The 401k an IRA, will allow about 20,000 in annual investment. And since they are tax deferred you still have your hypothetical 100% left. What you do after depends on your lifestyle and what you want your future lifestyle to be. Under no circumstance should you have all your savings in a single mutual fund or even a single mutual fund company. If you are a novice stock picker then Mutual funds are the way to go but they should also be diversified. Large, Medium, small cap usa. International (world) (Asia). You shoul also have an alternative fuels fund. Most importanly you need to get a financial planner that you can trust, not someone who is going to stear you towards investments in which they get the largest commission. Your planner should meet with you and basically interview you about your risk tolerance and financial expectations. The planner should then provide you with an extensive report of the funds they have selected for you and WHY? Make sure they are with a reputable company, I use Raymond James, because they do have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure the investments are in-line with your expectations and you future plans. If they are not, they are liable an it is surprisingly easy to sue for lost returns. If it is a fly by night company they may not be around. If I were you I would be Spending the 20g on the tax deferred investments and then investing at least another 20g.

My best idea would be to put as much as your employer allows into your 401K, especially if they match. That's free money! The younger you are, the higher risk/higher gain option you can choose for that investment. If you want to do additional to that, you could invest it into a variety of areas from a mutual fund, individual stocks, bonds etc. Which one is up to what you want from it and it wouldn't hurt to speak with a broker about those benefits or research each one online. As far as the percentage you should save...at least 10% and more if you can afford it. Good luck!

There's no hard and fast rule-- just try to save as much as you comfortably can. The more you save the richer you ultimately wind up.

I have to agree with a lot of what "spring romantic" says!

First decide how much money you need to live on, Mortgage/Energy/Food/Etc...

Then with whatever's left over max out your 401k with whatever your employer will match - Just like spring said it's free money. As far as putting all your money in a Vangaurd fund - never put all your eggs in one basket!

Be diversified, invest in stocks, mutual funds, futures - US and International... Get a good advisor and tell them what your goals are. Always have a goal in mind and go from there.

Another tip that I have done myself is to open a 7-day CD for a rainy day. It's only a 3% APY but it will always grow and it's available to me every 7 days if some unfortunate incident were to take place and I needed the money right away! There are a lot of good high yield money markets available as well that you can remove your money at any time...

There's really no set amount/percentage you should save or invest. It will vary from person to person and their situation, which is why you need to set a goal(s) and have a good advisor that can help you reach it!

At the very least 20% or $40,000 per year. I'd suggest saving & investing more.

So the maximum in your 401(k)
Another $15,000 -$25,000 in a taxable Account
$10,000 to $20,000 in savings

Total Approximately = $40,500 to $60,500

1) 100% (Excluding your basic needs like food, water, clothes, sex and so on) if you don't have a house.
2) No.