The most important thing you will do is to act on your plan. While the earlier steps are certainly necessary, if you don't actually act now, you will have gained nothing, and delays can have a serious impact on your ability to save enough to achieve your retirement goal.

Through the previous steps, you should have been able to develop a basic retirement plan. You should now know what type of plan(s) you are going to invest in, how much you will invest, and in what funds you will invest. The next step is to get and submit the application to the appropriate source. For your company plan, contact your human resources department. For other plans, contact the investment company. As soon as you get the paperwork, fill it out, name your beneficiary, sign it, attach a check (if necessary), and mail or hand deliver the paperwork. Don't delay, or else the paperwork will probably still be sitting around months from now.

Step 7 - Get Help If You Need It