It'll be even more difficult with how many people my age get contract or low-paying service industry jobs, at best, right out of school. I'm very thankful that I was able to pick up some contract work in my field of study for the first 1.5 years after graduation, but the contracting company offered no 401k company contributions, all "benefits" came directly out of my paycheck, and the pay wasn't the best. I needed pretty much every dime, and admittedly, didn't put anything into a 401k. I kind of wish I had, though. The earlier you start, the better off you'll be. FYI, I do contribute now, and get some admittedly very nice retirement benefits from my employer. I may not think I'll ever want to retire, but I'm planning that I will at some point. BTW, full-time employment beats contracting when you're young and inexperienced. To answer the OP, 401k, and my employer's retirement program, which is an employee stock ownership plan. (Only family members of the founder and Associates of the company own shares of our company. I'm counting down the days until I'm officially a minority owner. )