I’m 25, make under 45k a year and have a financial planner. Couple of my friends make under 25k a year and have them. How? A good starter financial planner doesn’t charge for his time, just makes a commision off whatever you need that he resells. Naturally this can be a concern sometimes but if you keep you get a good guy you trust, its extremely valuable and insightful. Most people my age don’t even have a savings account, much less a plan for retirement. I use a company called Ashford Advisors, they got a nifty product called The Living Balance Sheet (check it out at www.livingbalancesheet.com) that’s a good starter financial planning tool. As my business continues to grow, I plan at some point to upgrade to a more sophisticated financial planning tool/advisor most likely, but to start out with the basics: IRA, 401k, Savings accounts, proper insurance coverage for you, your belongings, and your business (if you have one) its a great starting point. The trick is to start planning now, before you hit 65 and go: “jeeze, how am I ever going to retire?”