And finally, you have to think about your retirement savings. Sharla says it is true that, because your adjusted gross income is more than $62,000 and you are single, you cannot put money into a deductible, traditional individual retirement account. And because your AGI is more than $114,000, you can't contribute to a Roth IRA, either.

However, Sharla says you can contribute to a nondeductible IRA. And if you do that now, you can take advantage of a unique window of opportunity. In 2010, you will be allowed by law to convert that non-deductible IRA to a Roth IRA and only pay taxes on the growth you have had over the three years between now and then.

"This is a way to put money in a Roth IRA when that window of opportunity opens up," Sharla says. "Otherwise, he might never be able to do that."

And speaking of retirement, Roger says your financial situation may have you considering an early end to your working career. "Retirement is not a matter of age, it's really a matter of money," he says.

If that is the case, Roger says it is even more important to save as much as possible now, because you never know how long you will live and need to draw on your retirement nest egg.

Both Roger and Sharla also say that, if you are renting your living space, you might want to consider buying a home, both as an investment and as a possible tax shelter.

The bottom line, Daniel, is that you should save as much as you can now, because your situation may change in the future.

"He didn't rule out marriage and didn't rule out having children," Roger says. "The advantage is that he can put some money away now and never touch it, and when he has other obligations come along, he can jump in and fund those as well. He's in a great position."

Sharla echoes that. "He's so sharp to be planning so early. I wish more young people were like that."

I hope this gives you some general ideas, Daniel. Let me know how everything turns out. Oh, and I'll be passing along those phone numbers as they start rolling in!

If you have a financial question, send it to gkratz@desnews.com or to the Deseret Morning News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110.

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E-mail: gkratz@desnews.com