Do you think registered retirement savings plans are just something you think about when you're nearing retirement? Chris Olsen shows starting early can really pay off.

Sarah West and Remi Masson are thinking more about their financial future these days including what they want for their retirement. It's not something they thought much about when they were students.

"I have two degrees and Remi has a degree and two college diplomas, so we put out a lot of dough out into education," Sarah said.

It was an eye-opener when they met with certified financial planner Nelson Simoes.

They found that the key to building an RRSP is getting an early start

"You just might not be able to eat out five or six times a month, [but] you can still eat out two or three times a month and put away money into retirement," Sarah said.

Another important decision to make was whether to pay off the student loan before starting an RRSP or try to do both. They want to retire early, which means they need to start an RRSP now.

"If they only focused on their debt, it would make it that much more difficult for them to catch up to their retirement goals so we help them accomplish a balance between the two," Simoes said.

Normally, paying debt first is the best idea, but Simoes says student loans have a unique feature.

"The good thing about the interest rate on student loans is they are tax deductible, so we consider that good debt, but if it were credit card debt then we would focus on paying that off much sooner," he said.

And for Sarah and Remi an RRSP is a higher priority than something like life insurance.

"You guys don't have kids and you don't have any significant debts and there isn't a major need for life insurance at this point," Simoes said.

That shows the importance of getting professional help with your financial planning instead of trying to do it all on your own.

The secret about financial planning is stating a goal, putting it in writing and paying attention to it to keep you going in the right direction.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen