Numerous studies show millions of workers aren't saving enough to fund a comfortable retirement. One conservative projection released this month by the Center for Retirement Research estimated almost half of the country's work force is at risk.

Unless people save more, they'll have to keep working or face a struggle, the center warned.

The 32-year-old South Side father of three wants to build a big enough nest egg so he and his wife can retire in their early 60s and not have to take part-time jobs to get by.

"I see a lot of older people working at places like Wal-mart," Mr. Korshlak said. "I don't know if they are just bored, or are working because they didn't set enough aside."

Mr. Korshlak, a help-desk consultant at a university, is trying to put himself on the right track.

His house is paid off, he doesn't have any credit card or many other debts, and he makes modest regular contributions to several retirement accounts. But with a modest household income of $38,000 and five mouths to feed, there isn't a lot left to set aside.

So far, he and his wife, who works part time, have saved about $7,000 toward retirement. That's not much, but with retirement at least 30 years away, they can catch up if they're disciplined, said Bob Nusbaum, a certified financial planner and president of Middle America Planning in Mt. Lebanon.

Saving early for retirement is crucial, but because Mr. Korshlak has a young family, he should tend to a few other financial matters first, Mr. Nusbaum said.

To start, he should build a reserve fund of at least three month's worth of expenses (about $8,000) to use in an emergency. The money should be in a safe, liquid account such as a certificate of deposit or money market account, Mr. Nusbaum said. Mr. Korshlak has about $4,500 in nonretirement savings, so he's about half way there.

Mr. Korshlak and his wife also need a will, which would designate a guardian for their children, plus a testamentary trust that would name a trustee to manage the children's assets, Mr. Nusbaum said. The cost for both documents starts at about $500.

Mr. Nusbaum also recommends that Mr. Korshlak buy life insurance. He should be able to get a $250,000, 20-year term policy for about $200 to $300 a year. A similar policy for his wife should cost less. It's important to insure nonworking or part-time working spouses because of the high cost of child care, Mr. Nusbaum said.

Assuming Mr. Korshlak keeps his job at the university, one area he won't have to worry about is college costs, since his children can attend tuition-free.

As for retirement, Mr. Korshlak contributes to a Roth IRA ($100 per month) and a 403(b) savings plan at work ($125 per month, or 5 percent of his salary), while his wife contributes about $20 a month (3 percent of her salary) where she works. That amounts to total annual retirement savings of $2,940. When employer contributions kick in this August, the couple's annual savings will jump to $4,380.

The $6,000 balance in Mr. Korshlak's IRA is split between two mutual funds with relatively high sales charges and fees.

Mr. Nusbaum recommends switching to no-load funds with minimal expenses and diversified holdings in large company, small company and international stocks. One option is a "life cycle" retirement fund offered by most mutual fund companies. These funds are well diversified and automatically become more conservative as the investor's retirement date approaches. Two examples are the Fidelity Freedom and Vanguard Target Retirement funds.

Because of the Korshlaks' long-term horizon, Mr. Nusbaum advises they keep at least 80 percent of their holdings in stocks and the balance in bonds. As they get older, they should gradually decrease the portion in stocks and boost the portion in bonds.

Assuming a 7 percent annual return on their investments and modest increases in the amount they contribute to savings as their salaries grow, Mr. Korshlak should reach his goal of accumulating $800,000 by age 62, Mr. Nusbaum said. (That projection assumes the couple's savings rates remain at 5 percent and 3 percent of their salaries, but the dollar amount will grow as their salaries rise.)

But will that be enough? What appears to be a considerable chunk of money today won't have the same purchasing power 30 years from now when adjusting for inflation.

To help ensure the Korshlaks won't be job-hunting in their 80s, they should aim to increase the percentage diverted from their paychecks to between 10 percent and 15 percent of their pay, Mr. Nusbaum said.

One fairly painless way to do that, he said, is to boost their contribution rate by one percentage point (from 5 percent to 6 percent, for example) every time they get a raise and by two percentage points following a promotion.