The hardest part of reaching any goal is getting started.

We can all envision the end result -- in this case, financial security -- but a lot of folks can't quite pull the trigger to start saving and investing.

What did Confucius say? "The longest journey starts with the first step."

How true. We want you to take that first step, so here's a little incentive to get you started:

A 20 year old that invests just $50 per month and earns the historical average of about 10% per year will accumulate more than $380,000! And…if you add to that $50 total through the years, you'll be well on your way to the retirement you dream about.

Older than 20? That's OK. A 40 or 50 year old who invests $100 per month and averages 10% annual returns will still have a small fortune at age 65.

We realize that putting $50 to $100 aside each month, especially in light of today's high cost of living, may not be an easy task for you...but please try to do it anyway. It will pay huge future dividends!

Now, you may think there's not much you can do with $50 a month, but the truth is, there are actually quite a number of fairly easy ways to begin investing. Here are three we especially like:

Buy Stock Right from the Company

Buying stock directly from a company instead of through a broker is called a Direct Stock Purchase (DSP) plan, and it's available for hundreds of stocks. You simply set up the plan with the individual company whose stock you want to own and you pay little or no commission. (For our advice on choosing stocks, see Getting Started in Stocks.)

You choose the amount you want to invest and at what interval (we recommend monthly). Your funds are then directly invested into the shares of the stock. Depending on the share price, you will receive either full shares or fractional shares of the company's stock every month. You may also reinvest any dividends, which will purchase fractional shares of that stock.

DSPs are a terrific form of dollar-cost averaging. You buy shares regularly over time, and when the stock's price is up, your monthly investment will buy less shares; when the price is down, you'll buy more.

The risk involved is that you are buying shares in only one stock and not getting the diversification inherent in a mutual fund composed of many stocks. It's still a good way to start investing with not a lot of money, but do try to diversify as soon as you're able to invest more money.

Dolan Straight Talk Tip: To set up a Direct Stock Purchase Plan, visit the Investor Relations section of an individual company's web site for more information. In addition, there are a number of websites that will enable you to do this strategy even if a particular company does not have such a plan. Check out www.sharebuilder.com. We also recommend an excellent book called All About DRIPs and DSPs by George Fisher.

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