Joshua and Amy Archibald

Age: 34

Foreign Service officers, Capitol Hill

Joshua and Amy Archibald have their financial future mapped out.

First came Joshua's individual retirement account, which he started as a junior in college. He has been socking away the annual maximum allowance ever since, investing heavily in technology stocks.

"I used to imagine: 'Jeez, what if my parents had opened an account for me when I was born?' I could retire at 40!" he said.

So for their own young son, James Thomas, the couple has set up a 529 college savings account. They are selling their home near RFK Stadium and plan to put some of their profit into that account. And when they move to Laos as part of a three-year tour for the Foreign Service, they hope to save the equivalent of one salary -- which also will go straight into the college fund.

"That would probably cover a public and maybe, say, two years at a private" university, Joshua said. "That should pretty much be enough. We hope."

For the past seven years, Amy has been investing in an IRA, as well.

Both participate in the government's defined-contribution retirement savings plan for federal employees and are hoping that the Foreign Service's pension system doesn't change drastically before they hit 55 or 60.

As for Social Security, Joshua doesn't put much stock in it. He looks at it "as possibly allowing us to fly occasionally in business class." Amy said she doesn't think it will be enough to do even that.

Joshua said they've been talking about hiring a financial planner to help manage their assets. But they haven't found anyone yet, and he says his do-it-yourself approach seems to be working just fine so far.

"We are, I think, fairly well set up," Joshua said.

Then he thought for a moment and added: "Assuming the market doesn't tank."

-- Ylan Q. Mui