Maybe you’re self-employed, or maybe your employer doesn’t offer a retirement plan.

Either way, it’s easy to neglect saving for retirement when you’re on your own.

You might be overwhelmed with the idea of managing your own plan.

Start by knowing your options and picking the best one.

It’ll make the whole process a lot less daunting.

But not everyone has this benefit.

Some people work for smaller companies that don’t offer retirement options.

Some only work part-time and aren’t eligible for benefits.

Other workers are self-employed and simply don’t know where to start.

But that’s no reason to ignore your retirement savings.

In fact, you should probably save more actively, since you don’t have an employer match.

Here are some retirement plan options when you don’t have an employer that offers one.

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA)

We’vewritten about IRAsin detail.

To recap, IRAs are tax-advantaged accounts that come in two general types: Traditional or Roth.

Who’s it for?Really, the IRA is a good option for anyone.

Or, you want to save in addition to any other retirement accounts you have.

In that case, you might not find it necessary to open a separate IRA.

For more information: Check outour primeron IRAs.

SEP-IRAs

It stands for “Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Account.”

And it’s popular among self-employed freelancers, according toThe Money Book for Freelancers.

you might save a significant portion of your company’s earnings in a SEP-IRA.

(If you’re a self-employed freelancer, the “company” is you.)

It’s easy to administer, according toInvestopedia.

And contributions are tax-deductible.

Who’s it for?Self-employed individuals and small business owners.

And you get to deduct that amount from your taxable income.

The SEP-IRA is easy to open and doesn’t require a huge amount of paperwork.

The SEP-IRA is a flexible option that doesn’t have too many requirements for doing this.

Why wouldn’t you want it?You want a plan with a higher contribution limit.

For more information: CNN Money goes into more detailabout the SEP-IRA.

Investopediagoes into detailabout those rules.

But there are a lot of guidelines, and the paperwork can be complicated.

So you have less flexibility with how much and how often you want to save.

Also, these accounts usually have higher fees, according to The Money Book.

Why wouldn’t you want it?You don’t feel like dealing with the maintenance and paperwork.

It’s a Traditional IRA that lets you save on behalf of any employees you have.

Why wouldn’t you want it?You just work for yourself; you don’t have employees.

For more information: Read more about the IRS rules on contributionshere.

Taxable Brokerage Accounts

These are non-retirement accounts.

But, unlike retirement accounts, they’re not tax-advantaged.

Who’s it for?Anyone who wants to save outside of their regular retirement account.

Maybe you’ve maxed out your Traditional or Roth IRA and you want another place to save.

What’s the contribution limit?None.

There are no tax-advantages, so you’re able to save as much as you want.

Why wouldn’t you want it?Taxes.

Most experts recommend contributing as much as it’s possible for you to into your tax-advantaged retirement accounts first.

But again, if you want to save even more, you might consider this plan.

Of course, there are other savings options, too.

You could open a CD, for example.

For more information:Check out our primer on how to get started withinvesting in the stock market.

Then, you simply start contributing to that account, andpick your investments.