Saving for retirement when you're younger is always difficult, since you don't usually have the money to invest. If you can invest at an interest rate of 8% compounded annually, which situation would be better: 

(1) invest $250 now, 

(2) invest $350 at the end of next year, or 

(3) $250 dollars now and $100 next year? 

Use complete sentences to make a hypothesis and then test it with some calculations.