This post comes fromMiranda Marquitat partner blog Bargaineering.

One of the greatretirement savings toolsis the tax-advantaged account. Accounts like 401k's and the IRAs can help you save for retirement, and reap tax advantages at the same time. Your tax-advantaged retirement account can provide you with a great way to save up money for retirement, putting your capital to work for you and building wealth. These accounts are easy to use, and they make saving up for the future fairly simple.

However, even though tax-advantaged retirement accounts are relatively easy to manage, it is possible to make mistakes with them. As you contribute to your retirement account, here arefive common retirement mistakes to avoid:

Not starting as soon as possible

The biggest mistake in any retirement savings plan is to not start as soon as possible. The earlier you start, the more time compound interest can work on your behalf. Getting started is a major part of retirement savings, and putting it off means you fall further behind. Along with this is the idea that you should max out your retirement accounts if you can. Even if you can't max out your contributions right now, you can create a plan to work up to it. (Post continues below video.)

Leaving money on the table

Another issue comes with leaving money on the table. If your employer offers a match, you should take it, up to the maximum allowed. Find out what sort of match is available, and then do what you can to contribute as much as you can in order to qualify for that matching contribution. It's free money that can go toward building your nest egg.

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5 common retirement mistakes