Saving for retirement at age 36

[nhalvorson77]

Hi there. I am 36 years old. I have a savings/checking accout, a 403b and both Roth and standard IRAs. i have $7,500 in my savings/checking. i have $4000 in my 403b and $5,500 in my iras (star fund). i had thought it would be a goal to bring the savings/checking up to $12,000 for an emergency fund. The 403b is a set fund each month with me putting in $80/month and my employer matching at $80/month. My question is: How much should I make a goal of putting into my IRAs? Again, I am 36 yrs old and there is $5,500 in there now. Should i focus on building up my emergency fund or my IRAs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[rennigade]

Its hard to tell without some more info. If you list all of your expenses it would be easier to determine how much of an EF you need. A good rule of thumb is to have an 8 month emergency fund.

Im a big fan of a Roth IRA...depending on if you have enough in your EF...the next step would be to fully fund your Roth since it seems like you're already contributing enough to get the full employer match in your 403b.