Admit it — you're older than you were last year. Sadly, this is an irreversible trend. One day you will not be able to work, will have to support a parent who can't take care of herself, or will run into other financial troubles that can only be fixed with two things: love and money. Money is often more difficult to come by on short notice.

No matter what your age, today is the best time to start accumulating savings to tide you through the unexpected. At a minimum, set up an IRA and make annual contributions. Hopefully, once your see funds accumulating, you'll find the motivation and the discipline required to bolster them with additional contributions.

The government offers opportunities to use pretax dollars, but often it's only the rich who learn how to use them to their advantage. IRA funding that allows you to sock away money before paying taxes and that grow tax-deferred, and health savings or flexible spending plans that use pretax dollars to pay medical expenses are excellent ways to use pre-tax dollars. Find out the plans that are available within your company, and jump on board immediately.