What is the best investment /retirement plan for a mom who hasn't worked due to husbands support .?

I am a stay home mom for 16yrs. , my husband never wanted me to work , at the time when my kids were small I was busy in their care. Now , I am thinking what will I do if something happened to my husband, how would I manage to take care of myself? What are some good investments I could make to safe guard myself for the future. I have just started to work in a private dr. office but I am thinking of changing to a gov. or state job because they have better retirement benefits. Thankz for your time.

First off, make sure you and your husband have a good term life insurance policy. That way, if something does happen to him, that you will be well supported.

On top of that, you can put your money into a Roth IRA and it will grow tax free. Other than that, you can invest in mutual funds. They tend to perform pretty well over the long term.

Start a 401k.

- buy good insurance on your husband
- invest in your dr's 401k plan.
- know that if you and your husband divorce you are entitled to 1/2 of his retirement savings.

sometimes a government plan is not better then what you have. Dr.'s often contribute 5% of your pay to your retirement plan so that they can maximize their OWN retirement plans. This can be a substantial benefit...make sure that you get all your facts together before you quit a job.

If your current job has a 1 year wait to participate, put money into an IRA at your local bank and then roll it into your 401k when you become eligible. Do not wait, start saving now.