Darrow Kirkpatrick seems to be living the dream. He retired in Tennessee with his wife Caroline at age 50. No, he’s not a dot-com millionaire or a real-estate flipper or even a stock trader. He’s a planner. 

“I did it the traditional way—hard work, frugality, prudent investing, and patience,” says Kirkpatrick, a former software engineer. 

If you’re in your 20s, retirement seems ages away. But financial professionals and the recently retired have some good and bad news for you: It’s not. E. Todd Marquardt, a certified financial planner in Madison, Wis., says very few people in their 20s, and even their 30s, are socking away enough funds for a happy retirement. 

People are living longer while health-care costs are rising faster than inflation. It’s easy to see why 20-year-olds need to start thinking about their future—now. While some feel that putting aside $100 a month is insignificant, it can go a long way especially for those in their 20s.

“Timing the market is not a strategy,” Marquardt says. “It’s time in the market and the power of compounding that is a strategy that works.”

I know for myself, time just seems to go faster the older I get. Retirement can creep up on you. Suddenly you’re scrambling to get everything done. Even if you have saved enough money, there are other details that need to be attended to before you can retire comfortably. 

Here are some tips to keep you on track:

Give yourself time

Even if your retirement is hastier than you’d planned, some things simply take time, so identify those and plan accordingly. 

For instance, to sign up for Medicare, part B takes a minimum of five weeks for enrollment, and if you don’t sign up in time you could end up paying as much as $800 for a month of COBRA until Medicare kicks in. 

Consider the intangibles

There are personal and family characteristics that contribute to or impede successful planning. 

If you’re single, you’ll be making all of the decisions yourself. But a lot of us are married or in a long term relationship, and it’s important to figure out how retirement will affect your dynamic.

If a couple, do you communicate well? Is one person anxiety-prone? This can actually be converted into a performance-driver if recognized and harnessed. 

Identify your strengths and weaknesses, and make the process work with what each person brings to it.

Get the right adviser

Get to know the values and style that a particular adviser offers, and see how well they mesh with your needs. Are your risk tolerances seriously different? You need someone you can trust, and someone who will help you make rational, practical decisions. Choosing a financial adviser that you and your spouse both relate to will liberate you to enjoy your retirement time in other ways. 

I can’t believe that summer has been here and gone again for another year, and I know I’m not the only one amazed with how quickly time has gone by. I’m looking forward to sitting back, relaxing, and watching the years go by when I retire, but I’m not there yet. I’m Retiring Tina, and I still have some work to do.