You may not earn a lot of money as you begin your career, but there’s one thing you have more of than richer, older folks: time. With time on your side, saving for retirement becomes a much more pleasant—and exciting—prospect.

If you work for a company that has a 401(k) plan, congratulations. As of 2020, nearly 60 million Americans took part in roughly 600,000 company retirement plans. According to Investment Company Institute, there were about $7.3 trillion in assets invested in 401(k) plans as of the end of June 2021.

Workers who are younger than age 50 can contribute a maximum of $20,500 to a 401(k) in 2022. That’s up $1,000 from the limit of $19,500 in 2021. If you're age 50 and older, you can add an extra $6,500 per year in "catch-up" contributions, bringing your total 401(k) contributions for 2022 to $27,000. Contributions to a 401(k) are generally due by the end of the calendar year.

Let’s say your FRA is 66. If you start claiming benefits at age 66 and your full monthly benefit is $2,000, then you’ll get $2,000 per month. If you start claiming benefits at age 62, which is 48 months early, then your benefit will be reduced to 75% of your full monthly benefit—also called your “primary insurance amount.” In other words, you’ll get 25% less per month, and your check will be $1,500.

Most failed retirement plans happen because of a catastrophic event within the first five years of retirement. When you are close to retirement, raise additional cash or increase your allocations to safety. Then slowly, move them back into the riskier investments over those first five years.

Many investors are aware of the rules surrounding penalty-free withdrawals from IRA accounts for certain expenses such as college tuition, a first time home purchase or, in certain circumstances, medical expenses and health insurance.