than in the earlier years. Our kids were grown and out of college and our household well established. No need for a lot of new furniture or clothes or whatever. Most of the million we saved was during those last 15 years or so. That said, the magic of compound interest would say that starting earlier, even with smaller amounts, is better.

If you have a 401k matching program at work, always max that out to the degree that the company matches for sure, and then save more if you can. In the later years, we contributed as much to our 401k/IRA as the law would allow.