Increasing your contributions by just 1% of your pretax earnings can make a huge difference.  If you’re making $50,000 a year and get paid twice a month, that’s only $20 per paycheck.  “Most people can afford to forgo that amount twice a month” is what I told Darci Smith of interest.com.

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I was recently quoted in a Jeff Wuorio article on Fidelity.com:  With the vast majority of couples making at least some financial decisions together, an identical money mindset can pose special issues. For instance, couples who are unduly conservative with their investments may inadvertently hurt their chances of reaching long-term financial goals, such as funding a comfortable retirement or saving for college. Wheeling, West Va., certified financial planner Russell Dunkin refers to them as “depositors” rather than investors.

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The benefit of micropayments isn’t just in dollars in cents. “The real value is the thought process that these contributions put you into,” he says. “It’s the idea that every small decision you make today is going to add up to something more valuable: college for your children.” – is what I told Erin Peterson, in an interview for savingforcollege.com recently.

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“Control your investment costs,” says Russell W. Dunkin, a certified financial planner and wealth advisor in Wheeling, West Virginia. “The last report I read implied the average mutual fund costs borne by investors was about 1.5%.” Many high quality, no-load funds come in around .5% or less. “As a 401k balance grows and more times passes, these fees can really add up for fund owners,” is what I told Gina Roberts-Grey for her piece on “10 resolutions to improve your financial outlook in 2010.

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