I had to move out from my husband of 15 years for the safety of one of my children. I then got cancer and lost my job which I had only had since I moved out because I was a stay at home mom and took care of our farm busines while my husband worked his job with the forest service and a range conservationist. I never finished my last year of college because of our three children and started back to school a month before I found out I had cancer. Before we were married I worked as a waitress to put myself through school, but the problem is, back then, they didn't require you to claim your tips, only your paycheck amount. So I wasn't getting any social security taken out of my tip amount which was much more than a paycheck, because base pay for waitresses was only $1.25 an hour back then. Our business was also under my husbands name, so social security was being taken out for him but I was basically nonexistent. So, needless to say, I have no retirement and only $5,000.00 in my social security fund and I had to quit work because of the cancer. I am now cancer free and starting my own internet business but I don't know what to do about retirement. I never imagined my marriage would fail and I would be in this situation. How do I start putting money away for retirment and what is the fastes way to make it grow?