Saving for retirement can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
Americans are urged to start saving early and consistently for retirement. As the country’s private workforce continues to move away from pensions and toward defined-contribution plans, including 401(k) and 403(b) plans, Americans are responsible for funding their own futures. The U.S. is on track to have elderly poverty rates unseen since the Great Depression, with nearly 20 million retirees living in or near poverty by 2035.
Of course, simply saying individuals need to save for retirement isn’t enough, and not all guidelines for how much they should have by a certain age work for everyone. And not all workers are able to set aside money for retirement because they’re having trouble balancing their financial responsibilities or because they lack access to workplace retirement accounts.
Here are 10 suggestions for efficiently saving for the future — some are almost effortless:
Read more: 10 of the easiest, most effective ways to save for retirement