Don’t have a money tree? Grow your own!

And I’m actually not talking about a real live money tree. I’m talking about a nest egg to keep yourself and your family happy in the future. It really isn’t that hard. All principles of regular saving apply. You simply have to cut some spending on meals out and lattes, invest in a 401K or Roth IRA, and read up on retirement planning.

There is a ton of free online help to get you started on retirement nest egg saving. Take advantage of the calculators that show you how much you will need, when you should start saving, and when you can retire based off of your current savings strategy. In fact, CNN and Money Magazine just put out the ultimate guide to retirement, where you can find all of these tools and articles.

Every little bit you save will help that money tree grow. Trust me, when retirement comes, you will be happy you have nurtured your own money tree ever time you have to pick from it.