Get a ROTH IRA. They are honestly the best I think. Think of it this way, with a ROTH you pay taxes on things you put in, but you don't get taxed on the way out. SO, this way you don't get taxed on all of the interest you make, just the principal. With a normal IRA, you wouldn't be taxed on deposits into the account, but you'd be taxed on the final sum, which includes both the withdrawn principal and the interest.
I'm not old, I'm just informed.
Make steady deposits to it, see if your work has a program that will match deposits up to a certain value, etc.