Many Americans say investing for retirement is their top financial goal—and for good reason! We all want to get to the point where we keep working because we want to, not because we have to. That’s why we invest—so we can have the kind of retirement we’ve always dreamed of having.

And yet, despite all our good intentions, we’re not doing a very good job with investing. According to The State of Personal Finance, nearly half of Americans (42%) are not investing for retirement and more than half (56%) feel behind on their retirement savings goals. We can do better!

There are a bunch of reasons why someone might not be investing right now. Some folks are focused on tackling other important financial goals, like getting out of debt. Others are overwhelmed and have no idea where to get started. And then there are folks who are scared to put money in the stock market because they don’t understand how it works.

No matter what the reason is, it’s time to get serious about investing. This guide will help you get really practical about how to build wealth through investing, as well as how to protect it. The best time to start investing was 10 years ago, but the next best time is today, so let’s get started!