I'm lucky enough not only to be a journalist and writer, but, for more than 30 years I've also been a full-time practitioner in the fields I write about. So it shouldn't surprise you that I regularly speak to plan sponsors, plan investors and their various forms of investors. There's one thing all these experienced people agree on: The most important element to achieving retirement success is to simply start saving.

Ironically, this is also the hardest thing for people to do. Not to save, but to start saving. Once an investor gets started, the process develops its own momentum. Fortunately, there are so many lists to help 401(k) investors get started (here's one: "7 Simple Saving Secrets Every 401k Investor Should Know," FiduciaryNews.com, Feb. 5, 2013). But what's totally amazing is this: It works.

Allow me to explain.

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Christopher Carosa

Chris Carosa has been writing a weekly article and monthly column for BenefitsPRO online and BenefitsPRO Magazine since 2011 and is a nationally recognized award-winning writer, researcher and speaker. He’s written seven books, including From Cradle to Retire: The Child IRA; Hey! What’s My Number? – How to Increase the Odds You Will Retire in Comfort; A Pizza The Action: Everything I Ever Learned About Business I Learned By Working in a Pizza Stand at the Erie County Fair; and the widely acclaimed 401(k) Fiduciary Solutions. Carosa is also Chief Contributing Editor of the authoritative trade journal FiduciaryNews.com and publisher of the Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, a weekly community newspaper he founded in 1989. Currently serving as President of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and with more than 1,000 articles published in various publications, he appears regularly in the national media. A “parallel” entrepreneur, he actively runs a handful of businesses, including a small boutique investment adviser, providing hands-on experience for his writing. A trained astrophysicist, he also holds an MBA and has been designated a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor. Share your thoughts and story ideas with him through Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/christophercarosa/)and Twitter (https://twitter.com/ChrisCarosa).