If you’re in your 20s or 30s, retirement can feel like a distant concept; something your parents or older coworkers are worrying about, not you. Between student loans, rent, travel goals, and saving for a first home, “retirement contributions” might sound like a nice-to-have, but not an urgent priority. But what if waiting even a few years could quietly cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars later? The truth is that time is your most valuable financial asset in your early career.