You are a young lad studying to earn your degree. Lately you are starting to think about your future and you also aware that saving is a crucial part of successful financial life. With this awareness you started to get a Roth IRA, or perhaps to invest in the stock market in the long term most likely a index fund or a portfolio of low risk companies. It seems that everything are working well.
However there’s one important thing you might forget: What is the main purpose of your savings? Remember that without having clear goals in mind, it’s incredibly easy to make very poor choices when it comes to saving for the future.
Take the Roth IRA, for example. It’s a great vehicle for saving for retirement because, when you reach retirement age, you can take withdrawals from it without any taxes at all. However, it’s an extremely poor vehicle for saving for goals prior to retirement, since you can only withdraw your contributions.
On the other hand, savings accounts can be a great place to put cash if you intend to spend it in the near future. You don’t have the risk of losing value as you do with the stock market and you’ll earn at least a small return on your money.
There are many different goals of savings, such as for retirement, short term saving for home purchasing, emergency fund, or long term investing. These different goals are wonderfully matched to different investment vehicles. If you want an emergency fund, you should be putting your cash in a savings account.
If you want short term savings for goals in the next few years, you should look at short-term treasury notes, bonds, and certificates of deposit – stable investments that aren’t restricted and won’t lose money. If you’re shooting for long term savings (but not retirement savings), look at stock investments, preferably in index funds. If you’re saving for retirement, a Roth IRA is a great vehicle.
So if you are just coming out of college with a strong desire to spend less than I earn, I would fully fund a Roth IRA, build up a few months’ worth of emergency fund, then start investing in index funds for longer-term things, like buying a home in my thirties. However, Carl’s priorities may be different.
The real challenge isn’t the actual investing. The challenge is figuring out your goals and knowing where you’re going with your life. Mark that 
By the way, checkout other financial tips here, and personal finance here… Cheers
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