<prompt> Human: Out of college I joined a financial services company. The gig was fabulous. I was able to pitch to senior executives, run my own projects and develop my business skills.To match my excitement I purchased a 140,000 condo, a bunch of new clothes and drove around town in a brand new car.But in this new found independence I forgot to invest in my 401k plan. To be completely honest, after two years of education at a top Boarding School, four years at a top University, and growing up in a loving and supportive family my reaction was:Eh, Whatever.Stupid decision for a kid right out of college right?Einstein once called compound interest the eighth wonder of the world. The reason is because if I had contributed 6 of my salary along with my company match for those three years and never touched it again I would have 400,000 by retirement. Thats right, 400,000.It wasnt a just stupid decision, it was a monumentally stupid one.I lost close to half a million dollars by being lazy.Sadly, this is the case for many people as the rpersonalfinance group talks about often. Theres a simple plan you can execute quickly that will save you the money I lost. - Call your HR office and ask them about their 401k plan. Ask them specifically how can I automatically contribute a portion of my salary into a low cost index fund?- Follow the steps they provide you to auto enroll- At the very least sign up for contributing 1. Everyone can give 1 of their salary. - If you get overwhelmed by choosing the investment option go with a target date mutual fund e.g., Vanguards Target Date 2050 FundI recommend sitting down and doing this all in one sitting. It will take 2 to 3 hours. But man, its one of the best things that you can do for your family.  <response>: oh look at this clickbait title. 