The major reason workers don't take advantage of this critical retirement program is a perfectly understandable reluctance to have more money withheld from their paycheck.

So start small by setting aside just 1% of your pay. You'll hardly notice 1%. We promise.

And since your 401(k) contributions are not taxed, your take-home pay will only fall 65 to 90 cents for every dollar you put in your retirement account.

Let's say you're making $40,000 a year. Contributing 1% percent of your salary adds $8 a week to your retirement account, but only reduces your paycheck by $7 a week. If you're making $90,000, you'll be saving $17 a week but only see your take-home pay drop by $11.

Click here to see our 7 simple rules for a successful 401(k) plan.