Jacinto Vargas

Age: 25

Advertising entrepreneur, Gaithersburg

Jacinto Vargas had next to nothing when he and two friends opened their own advertising company a year and a half ago. The tiny office in Rockville where they tailor ads to the Hispanic community was furnished with chairs and computers bought with their own money. There were no health benefits, no retirement plan.

Vargas said he tries to save money each month. Sometimes it's $100; sometimes it's $10, depending on business. "As much as we sell is how much we make," he said.

He has a small cushion to fall back on. He has an individual retirement account with a few hundred dollars in it and a government bond that's worth a little bit more than that. But almost every penny is invested in his business, Altavista Communications Group.

The company has been growing. It turned a small profit last year, and Vargas can now charge his cellphone, gas mileage and health insurance to the business. Maybe next year, they'll start a 401(k). But Vargas said his priority is to keep the business afloat.

"We worry about our retirement, but at the same time, we're young," he said. "It's, like, first things first."

-- Ylan Q. Mui