Just as we wear sunscreen when under the harsh Australian sun to stop being burnt, there are precautions we can take with our superannuation to make sure our retirement dreams stay on track.
Being armed with knowledge about the different risks we face in life is one way to protect against the dangers we can face - in the area of saving, the need to know the rules is no different.
In investment-speak, risk is the permanent loss of capital.
It happens when an asset is sold for less than the price paid, leaving less cash to invest than when you started.
Shrinking amounts of money mean the next investment has to earn a return high enough to get back to where you started before you actually start growing your wealth again.
Risk can also include when volatility - the wild swings from high to low - takes place.
The rollercoaster of financial markets can spark nerves, backing investors into a corner forcing the sale of assets at lower than expected prices.
Having time on your side is one way to manage the yo-yo nature of investing because you might be able to wait it out for a rebound in prices.
Another way is to make sure you own a mix of investments that behave differently so the strong performance of one asset can offset the weaker return of another.
For those with their super in an industry or retail super fund, a professional is managing these risks for you.
But there are other dangers that face savers beyond the possibility of losing money.
For those growing their retirement kitty there is the risk of not generating a high enough return, leaving super balances well short of what they need to be.
The difference between a five and seven per cent return over 10 years on $10,000 is over $30,000.
It’s a big difference and will have an impact on the type of retirement that can be afforded.
Handling this threat is a matter of making sure you are invested in the right option for your age, which for most savers will be one that has more growth investments - shares and property - than those designed to keep steady in value such as cash and debt.
At the other end of the age scale, retirees face the risk of their investments not generating enough income to fund their pension payments.
While there is now a range of pension products designed to manage this threat, those with self-managed super funds need to be conscious of the income producing ability of their portfolio.
There are risks we face and have to manage every day - and saving for retirement is no different.