Earl Ezekiel wants to retire in San Diego when he is $65$ years old. Earl is now $50.$ He believes he will need $$300,000$ to retire comfortably. To date, Earl has set aside no retirement money. Assume Earl gets $6\%$ interest compounded semiannually.

How much must Earl invest today to meet his $$300,000$ goal?

Note: Do not round intermediate calculations. Round your answer to the nearest cent.

Investment