How to Save for Retirement in Your 30s

Your 30s are the decade when retirement saving is least urgent and most valuable.

On its face, retirement contributions can compete with student loan repayment, home down payments, childcare, and a career that finally pays enough to feel like there's breathing room.

But the issue is that when nothing forces the issue (read: you're not imminently counting down to retirement), it's easy to forget that the power of every retirement dollar saved now is at its greatest potential. That tension between the need to plan for the future and the want to feel like there's actually breathing room after your bills are paid is the whole problem. 

Here is how to save for retirement in your 30s without pretending those tensions don't exist.