Do some cursory homework on what you're going to need to retire, and commit to that savings level from day one. This need not be extensive - it can be as simple as gathering consensus from personal finance experts about the percentage you need to save (15% seems to be a pretty agreed-upon figure). Then do it, and…

Learn about personal finances.

Quit Freaking spending on frivolities. And Save.

The advice I still give: Never take financial advice from somebody who has an interest in selling you something. That covers banks, pension & investment firms and insurance companies. Pay for independent advice.

This is dorky, but it's definitely one of those tools I didn't really know I loved until I had one. My father got me one randomly as a gift when I mentioned I wanted to start doing more work on my own car a couple of years back, and since then, I've used it working on my car when I needed more light, or the sun was…