Most young adults do not think about retirement too much. This is definitely the case with young teenagers as well. However, it does not change the fact that we all will grow older and that retirement day will fast approach. It stands to reason that we are never too young to start planning for retirement and part of that plan is to start saving money and getting a good return on the investment of what is saved.

Just think about it. If a young person starts saving at age 18 and retires at age 65, then that is 47 years of steady saving. If a person were to save a dollar a day then that in and of itself would be $17,000+ dollars without even the consideration of interest. If a person is to save $1 a day for 47 years at a 5% return and a 3.1% inflation rate, that savings would grow to around $70,000. Thus, you cannot start too young. In fact the younger you start saving for your retirement, the better.

Initially, you might want to invest your money into some investment vehicles that provide high rates of return. These of course will be the riskier investments, as they tend to return higher rates. When you are young, it is advisable to do this because you can bounce back from market downturns with plenty of time to recover. As you get older and closer to retirement, you want to protect what you have accumulated and keep the investments in less-risky vehicles. Of course, you won’t achieve the high rates of return that you would in the risky ones but the idea here is to protect yourself from taking losses close to retirement. Also, make sure that all of your retirement investments are tax-deferred in that you do not want taxes to negatively impact you while you are building your retirement fund.

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Channel Title: Retirement advice and news - CNNMoney.com

How Uncle Sam wants to boost your retirement
Usually I cringe when our leaders in Washington try to help improve our finances. I'm afraid their efforts may do more harm than good. But two new ideas being discussed inside the Beltway could actually make it easier to prepare for retirement. Both center on the income you'll generate from your 401(k).
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Question: I'm 42 years old. What percentage of my weekly paycheck should I contribute to my 401(k)? --Gary, Bronx, New York
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Making $300,000 last a lifetime
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A retirement plan for the laid off
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Writing off losses in your portfolio
Question: If I sell a mutual fund to write off the loss on my tax return, do I face any restrictions on reinvesting the money? -- Tom M., St. Paul, Minn.
Ready, set, convert to a Roth
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Retire without taxes
3 easy ways to start saving now
Question: I'm 22 and want to get an early start on saving and investing for retirement, but I don't know where to begin. How do I start a retirement plan? --Jacklyne S., Kileen, Texas

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