UNITED STATES—When you get your first job, that last thing you are thinking about is saving for your future. You are just thinking about working and doing what you can do to sustain a living, however, one thing that is never on our side is time. Time is the one thing you cannot get back once it’s gone and when you’re working that is something you have to think about sooner than later.

I hate to say it, but as a teenager, saving money was the last thing I was thinking about. Even as I got into my 20s and late 20s I was not thinking so much about saving money. You’re living your life, you’re meeting people, you’re dating, you’re young and making mistakes spending money and so much more. Now entering those 30s the future starts to hit you.

Whoa, time for the house, time to save for retirement, do you have your IRA, 401K, brokerage investments and plenty of other accounts where you are storing your money not just for a rainy day, but when you’re ready to stop working. If you’re in your early 40s and you haven’t started to save, well, it is time to start because if you want to retire in your mid to early 60s time is not on your side. I think the biggest thing so many of us forget is that every little bit you put away is better than NOT putting anything away at all.

I’m not one ready to invest in the stock market. I just don’t know enough about it and the ups and downs that come with it. Yes, you do have to invest your money to turn a profit on it, but there is no point in investing if it doesn’t yield you the actual results that you want to see to begin with. I was always told about having a 401k, but with a little education I learned an IRA was a better choice because of tax reasons so that is why I lean in that direction.

For those with the 401k, that is good for you, whatever works best for you, you have to do that. But you should have money going into more than one account. Why? If you have just a checking account, you’re likely spending money from that account and less likely to be saving. You do want to draw interest on your money if you are placing it into a savings account which means shopping around when it comes to what bank you choose to invest your money in because you want to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Some banks offer you a lot, while others give you little to nothing people. Also it doesn’t hurt to consider placing funds on a CD aka Certificate of Deposit, where you can’t touch the money for a period of time. It might be hard to do, but the benefit is so worth it. Why? You can take the interest you earn on that CD and then turn around and place it with more money on another CD and continue to draw that interest.

The thing about retirement for anyone who is an employee and pays social security taxes each week, every two weeks or whenever they get paid, you’re hoping that money will be enough for you when you choose to retire. The reality is Social Security alone is NOT enough for retirement. Why? So many people find themselves working way beyond the age of 62, 65, or even later which is beyond disturbing. Your goal should not be working your entire life. You should have time to enjoy life and not be worried about working yourself to death.

What good is saving all that money if the time comes for your later years in life to relax, reflect and enjoy. I want to be able to enjoy life in my 70s, 80s, 90s, hopefully into the 100s and not be worried about going back to work to keep a roof over my head, to pay my everyday bills and to place food on the table. Long story short, the time is now that you begin to plan for your future if you haven’t already done so. If you wait too late, it will indeed be too late.

Written By Jason Jones