Before age 30 is the best time to start a retirement savings account.

• Tax-advantaged plans at work are often the best place to look first.

Everyone should participate in their 401(k), especially if there's an employer match, says Salisa Roberts, a financial planner with Washington Mutual. "Don't leave that money on the table."

A sample plan: Start saving whatever percentage is required to trigger a match, then increase savings by 1 percent per year to at least 8 percent, more if you can.

Debt is the top reason younger workers don't save. Most college grads carry large student loans; the average credit-card balance for those in their 20s is $3,400. "Credit-card debt is the anti-Christ," fumes Paul Capeloto, a Smith Barney vice president in Bellevue.

• Reducing debt with nondeductible interest should be a first priority in any financial plan.

Further reading:

"Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties," by Beth Kobliner, Simon & Schuster, 2000, $14. An excellent graduation gift.

This mutual-fund site explains retirement terms, helps you calculate if your savings plan will suffice:
www.retirementplans.vanguard.com

More resources

• His IRA immediately sustained losses in the stock-market downturn ("I started with $9,000 and I'm back to $9,000), but he's not bothered: "I figure I am buying low."

• He's accepted a $55,000 job offer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which he hopes will allow for more investing, though he and his engineer wife will need to maintain dual residences in a commuter marriage between Seattle and Richland

• His parents paid for college, and the research job covered most of grad-school tuition. That plus a free car from his parents helped keep debt low, which he admits is unusual among twentysomethings.

"All of my friends have lots of bills, with car payments and college loans."