Here's all you have to do. Hewitt Associates just released a study that shows how investing in your early years can make you wealthy in your retirement. The study says that any dollar you save at the age of 25 will be worth $8 at the age of 65. So if you have $10,000 in the bank at age 25, you will have $80,000 by the time you're 65. All you have to do is leave the money in the bank. It doesn't get much easier than that.



What if you're not 25 anymore? As you age, the returns will be less. Still, every dollar invested at age 35 will be worth $5 at age 65. And if you start at age 45, that dollar will be worth $3.

If you're in your 30s or 40s, please don't let this discourage you. It is far better to start saving now than to just give up completely and not save at all. It's never too late. Why turn down $5 or $3 just because it's not $8? And if your children are grown, show them this information and encourage them to start saving now.

Just as it's never too late to start saving, it's also never too early. If your children are young, every dollar they save now could be worth $10-$12 when they retire. So take the time to teach your children about saving for the future. The book of Proverbs tells us to "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it" (22:6). Most parents relate this just to spiritual training. Few will extend it to finances. However, training your children to handle finances biblically is one of the best things you can do for them. Start them young and it will be a habit they continue the rest of their life.

And don't forget that one of the best teaching tools is to lead by example. We all should be saving at least 10% of our income. Kids can easily save from 50% to 90%. And the younger they start, the more they'll have in the future.