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It’s never too early to start putting away money for your future. If you’ve ever wondered how to save for retirement when you’re also dealing with day-to-day expenses, these easy tips can help.

1. GET A ROUGH ESTIMATE OF RETIREMENT EXPENSES

It may seem difficult to know how much money you’ll need in retirement, especially if it’s several decades away. Experts say that to keep your same standard of living, you’ll probably need at least 70% of your pre-retirement income.

The reason you probably won’t need 100 percent is because some costs, such as commuting expenses or child care, probably won’t be necessary in retirement. If you already have a budget for your current expenses, then it’s probably easy to get a rough idea of what you may need when you retire.

Say you’re 25 years old and your living expenses are about $50,000 a year. Take 70% of that, and it means you’d probably need about $35,000 to retire comfortably, assuming your income remains the same until retirement. So you’d want a nest egg that provides about $35,000 annually.

Many financial experts suggest that you withdraw only about 4% of your retirement savings each year to help ensure that it lasts. That means to get $35,000 in income, you’d need a savings target of about $875,000.

It’s a lot of money, but by using a retirement calculator, you could find that there’s a good chance you could reach your goal by age 61 if you start saving 10% of your income each year. This number assumes your savings earn 7% annually. If your income increases before retirement, you’d probably also need to increase your savings target.

If you can’t quite put away 10% — or whatever your goal percentage is — while also keeping up with your regular expenses, consider starting with a smaller amount and gradually increasing the percentage of income you save until you reach your goal.

You may also have other income sources in retirement, such as Social Security or a pension plan. Look at the Social Security calculator to get an idea of what your monthly benefits might be when you retire and add that to your retirement calculations.

Bear in mind that an income of $35,000 will probably have much less spending power in 40 years than it does today because of inflation, so it’s smart to consider cost-of-living increases in your savings target. It may be a good idea to make an appointment with a certified financial planner to help you weigh your options.

2. CONTRIBUTE TO A TAX-ADVANTAGED RETIREMENT PLAN

In addition to knowing what percentage of income you should save each year, you’ll also want to decide where to put your money. If your employer offers a traditional or Roth 401(k), consider enrolling. This is especially important if your company offers an employer match, because a match is like adding free money to your retirement savings. You could also contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA.

With traditional retirement plans, you receive an upfront tax deduction for the money you contribute. You then let that savings grow and allow the interest to compound. You’d pay income tax on any money you withdraw, and you’d also have additional early withdrawal penalties if you take money out before age 59½. 

With Roth plans, you pay tax on your contributions, but you don’t have to pay tax on your withdrawals if you retire after age 59½.

When you put your money in a retirement savings plan, you’ll have a number of different investment options to consider, including stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

3. PUT YOUR SAVINGS ON AUTOPILOT

Once you’ve established your retirement plan, consider setting up automatic withdrawals from your paycheck or bank account. It would be much easier to meet your savings goals when your money has a chance to grow uninterrupted over a period of years.

Learning how to save for retirement is important, but it doesn’t have to be hard. By coming up with a savings goal and contributing regularly to a retirement account, you can help make sure you’ll be able to meet your financial goals for the long term.

Margarette Burnette, NerdWallet
Produced by NerdWallet

Just as with buying a home, selling also comes with its share of dues. You need to prepare your home for prospective buyers as well as pay part of the closing costs, which average around 3% of the home price. Here’s a breakdown of the types of costs you can expect.

Home repairs and inspections: Before the sale, you’ll probably want to fix up carpet stains, window cracks or other home features that have suffered minor damage over time. You also might decide to pay for an inspection for termites or other pests to avoid any unpleasant experience for prospective buyers checking the home.

Staging: To impress buyers, hiring a professional home decorator or stager can help you organize and make your home more appealing. You might also get higher bids on the home this way.

Settlement company fees: If you decide to use a third-party settlement company to ensure all documents and procedures between you and the buyer are correct, you pay the company for your portion of the closing costs and potentially an administrative cost. In return, the company will pay off your mortgage and those closing fees to the lender.

Real estate commission: Generally, you have to pay for the real estate fees for both your agent and the buyer’s agent. The cost can be negotiated, but it typically ranges between 5% and 7% of the home price, split between agents. The money goes to the agents’ brokerages, who will then pay them. This commission can be one of your biggest expenses.

Attorney fees: Lawyers can be certified as real property specialists and in some states might be required to help close a home sale.

Property taxes: Ideally, the buyer and seller pay their respective shares of the property taxes for when they lived in the home that year. Depending on when you sell, you might pay all taxes for that year and have the buyer reimburse you for the time he started living there. Additionally, if your home increased in value more than a certain amount, you might have to pay a capital gains tax.

Seller’s concession: If the buyer is having trouble paying for some of the closing costs, the seller can agree to pay a percentage of them. In exchange, that amount can be added into the home price the buyer pays.

Title search: Although the title search is generally the buyer’s responsibility, you might decide to pay for it as part of the deal. The title search involves a professional reviewing public records to confirm you own the property that you’re selling and that no unpaid dues interfere with your title of ownership.

Lien releases: From the title search, you might discover that some debt hasn’t been paid. If you owe any taxes, contractor costs, utilities or other bills on your home, you’ll receive a lien, or a record of any unpaid amount on your home. You must pay it off to clear your title and be able to sell your home.

Owner’s title insurance: If the title search misses something, a lien remains unpaid or the seller doesn’t actually own the property, this insurance protects the buyer from any financial loss. The seller generally pays for this.

Home warranty: As part of the negotiation with the buyer, you might decide to pay for a one-year protection plan on the buyer’s behalf. This will cover certain repair costs if needed.

Knowing the possible costs when selling your home can keep the process straightforward. Despite being potentially expensive and time-consuming, selling at a good price and without complications can save you time and energy.

Buying a home is a common undertaking for many Americans, but it’s also one of the most complicated — not to mention costly — purchases adults will ever make. It’s important to understand these 10 essential terms so you’re ready to make smart decisions with your money.

1. Adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM): A mortgage with an interest rate that can change over time. It typically has a low, fixed initial interest rate and then may adjust regularly either up or down depending on market conditions. It can’t exceed a set rate cap.
2. Closing costs: Fees from buying a house from both the lender and third parties like inspectors, attorneys, surveyors and title insurance companies. These typically add up to 3%-6% of the total home price, though some of these charges are negotiable.
3. Down payment: When you’re buying a home and financing it with a mortgage, most lenders require you to put down a certain amount of cash upfront, usually 5% to 20% of the total price. Your mortgage covers the amount remaining after the down payment.
4. Escrow: A neutral, third-party account that protects the money of both buyers and sellers until real estate transactions are finalized. For example, if you choose to make a deposit with an offer on a home, it would go into an escrow account first rather than directly to the seller. Once you’ve bought a home, escrow accounts are also typically used to hold money for homeowners insurance and property taxes until payment is due.
5. FHA loan: A mortgage offered through the Federal Housing Administration that has less strict credit and down payment requirements compared with conventional loans. It’s ideal for people with less-than-stellar credit who aren’t able to qualify for conventional financing. The tradeoff: Along with paying monthly mortgage insurance fees, you’ll also pay a hefty upfront premium.
6. Fixed-rate loan: A mortgage with an interest rate that won’t change over the course of the loan. The rate may be higher than an ARM, but you’ll never have to worry about it increasing.
7. Interest: Money your lender charges you for cash you borrow, indicated by an annual percentage rate, or APR (for example, 4%). Your interest rate will depend on your credit history and how much you can afford for a down payment.
8. Principal: The amount of money you borrow. Note that you end up paying significantly more than this amount because of interest.
9. Private mortgage insurance (PMI): If you don’t put 20% of the home’s price in a down payment, some lenders require this insurance to lessen their risk. It’s typically paid with a monthly fee added to mortgage payments. You can often cancel it once you have a certain amount of equity in the home.
10. VA loan: Mortgages for qualified current or former members of the U.S. military. These typically offer more favorable interest rates and require low to no down payment. They’re offered by financial institutions but backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Home buying can be confusing, but knowing this important lingo will make it easier to navigate the process.

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