What a lovely sunset you may say as you take another sip on that ice-cold mojito, but when last did you think about your twilight years? As we go through life with all the financial pressures inherent, it's difficult to contemplate the luxury of saving for a rainy day let alone retirement.

Wrinkles start appearing sooner than you think and if you want to be comfortable and content you’d better start thinking about saving now.

As times change and people regularly change jobs, the time-honoured model of the 40-year corporate employee with a great pension plan is more and more unlikely. We need to be proactive and plan our own futures, thinking about our retirement by consistently working towards it.

Conventional wisdom states that to retire comfortably at the age of 65, one would have to invest 10 percent of their gross earnings for the rest of their lives. Scared? I know I am. When most of us are struggling to simply pay our hard costs of living, saving doesn’t seem to be an option. Unfortunately, attitudes must change. In a world where over-consumerism is rife, it seems the message is not being spread fast enough – start saving now otherwise you will have no future.

Start by erasing your debt. Any earning potential for your cash is instantly lost if you make minimum payments on credit cards or continue to pay a large mortgage – you are always playing catch-up if your debt is not paid up as soon as possible. Find a reliable financial advisor to help you invest your funds wisely.

Dedicate an amount every month – no matter how small – and invest it regularly. Make sure the size of your monthly investment grows consistently and don’t allow luxury, debt and indulgence to compromise your future!