When it comes to saving for retirement, every little bit helps. Fortunately, if a little is all you can afford this year, you have more investment choices than ever. Here are three ways to start an Individual Retirement Account with no initial outlay, or a very small one.

MyRA, which stands for My Retirement Account, is a program launched by the U.S. Treasury Department at the end of 2014 to encourage more workers to save for retirement. At present you can open an account only through payroll deductions with an employer, so if you're self-employed or currently out of work, it most likely isn't an option. Nor is it available to people with access to another work-based retirement plan or those who earn $129,000 or more a year (singles) or $191,000 or more (married couples filing jointly).

For people who do qualify, the MyRA has several things going for it.

• There are no fees to open or maintain an account, and you can contribute as little or as much as you wish, up to certain limits. Maximum contributions for 2015 are $5,500 for people under age 50 and $6,500 for those 50 and up.
• Your contributions come out of your paycheck automatically. Once you've made a decision to participate, you won't have to think about it or be tempted to use the money for other purposes.
• The account is structured as a Roth IRA, so you can withdraw your principal at any time without penalty if you ever need to. Once you reach age 59½, you will also be able to withdraw your account's earnings tax-free if you've had the account for at least five years. As with any Roth IRA, however, you won't receive a tax deduction for your contributions to the account.
• Your account is backed by the U.S. Treasury and guaranteed not to decline in value. The downside is that its return is pegged to government securities, which have paid very little interest in recent years.
• You can roll your money into a Roth IRA at another financial institution whenever you want. Once your account hits $15,000, or you've had it for 30 years, you're required to move it.

Many mutual fund companies and brokerage firms require a minimum initial investment, such as $2,500 or $3,000, for most of their accounts. However they will often waive that requirement – or offer ways to get around it – in the case of IRAs. Some examples, in alphabetical order:

E*Trade offers traditional and Roth IRAs with no account minimums.

Fidelity Investments waives minimum investment requirements on some of its funds for traditional and Roth IRAs if you sign up for regular, automatic investments.

Merrill Edge has no minimum initial funding requirements for its retirement accounts.

Charles Schwab waives its usual $1,000 minimum for traditional and Roth IRAs if you commit to automatic monthly contributions of $100.

TD Ameritrade offers traditional and Roth IRAs with no minimum investment requirements.

TIAA-CREF has two plans with no minimum investment requirements: its Investment Solution IRA and Brokerage Services IRA.

Finally, don't forget your local bank or credit union, or their online counterparts. Many offer IRAs with no, or very low, minimums. For example, Ally Bank offers certificates of deposit for traditional and Roth IRAs with no minimum investment requirement. PNC Bank also has no-minimum IRAs, and the PenFed Credit Union offers them with minimums as low as $25.

If you have any money at all to put into an IRA this year, chances are you can find a good home for it. For more, see Best 2015 IRA Promotions.

And if you're not using the government MyRA program, you'll need to decide whether to open a traditional IRA or a Roth. See Roth Vs.Traditional IRA: Which Is Right For You? Also check out 5 Secrets You Didn't Know About Traditional IRAs and 5 Secrets You Didn't Know About About Roth IRAs.