Need some motivation to help you save a little more from your paycheck? The New York Times has a nice calculator that will show you exactly how increasing your savings by just 1% can make a significant difference over time. One thing to note, by default they have the “expected annual return” set to 5%. I’m not aware of any savings accounts that currently offer that kind of interest rate, so you’ll want to move that slider to whatever your savings/money market/CD is earning for you.
Increasing your savings by one more percentage point – or even better, another percentage point a year – can add up to big additional savings over time.