The word retirement conjures up several images: leisure travelling, spending time with grandkids, indulging in new hobbies, and just general recreation. Having worked hard for the majority of our adult lives, we look towards retirement as a period of well-deserved rest and personal fulfilment. To ensure that you have just the right amount of finance for such a lifestyle, it is important to begin your retirement planning early. Even though retirement might be the last thing you think of as you begin your career and start living independently, taking small steps in the present can help you in major ways in the future.