Dear Helaine: I'm in my late 20s and got a bit of a later start in my career than I would have liked. I finished college about a year and a half ago, and got my first salaried job at the age of 26.

I thought when I got a job that didn't involve standing behind a cash register I'd have a lot more money to play with, but it really doesn't seem that way. After rent, bills, putting away money in my retirement and savings accounts every month, it seems like I have almost nothing left over. I've invested a bit in the stock market, but I don't really have time to research stocks, so most of my choices have been bad ones.

I'm starting to feel a bit of panic when I think about all the things I am supposed to be able to afford as an adult, like a house and raising children. My savings account stands at $5,000. A modest home in my area costs no less than $400,000, so even a down payment is a long way off.

I'll be 30 before I know it, and I feel like I should have more to show for myself. How do people handle these kinds of major expenses? I know the easy answer is to invest, but as I said, I'm not good at that. -- Late Starter

Dear Late Starter: When it comes to housing, you are hardly alone. The median age of a first-time homebuyer is 31 years old, partly as a result of higher costs. But don't despair! It's likely you'll be able to save more money as your salary increases, as long as you don't give in to upping your expenditures along with your enhanced paycheck. And while putting 20 percent down on a home is ideal, it's certainly not mandatory. In fact, the majority of people who buy a home with a mortgage put down less than that sum. It's possible you'll be among them. It's also possible your salary will increase, and you will be able to save up the requisite sum.

When it comes to stocks, you don't need to be good at stock-picking to invest in the stock market. In fact, that's completely the wrong way to think about it. I'm assuming that if you are investing via your workplace retirement account, you are likely putting your money in a target date fund or an assortment of index funds. That's how you should invest on your own, too. Enough with the stock-picking! Studies show less than 1 percent of us can beat the stock market averages year in and year out, and that number includes professionals who invest for a living. Don't try to beat them.

Finally, don't be so hard on yourself. Saving $5,000 in little more than a year after graduating college is quite an accomplishment. I'm officially impressed, and I bet more than a few readers of this column are too. Keep up the good work!

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)

Dear Helaine: My husband and I are recently married and have realized we are going to owe a significant chunk of money to the IRS this year, thanks to the fact that I make significantly more than he does. I know we could still contribute to an IRA for this year, and still get the tax deduction, but we both have workplace retirement plans and therefore I don't think we qualify. We have not maxed out our 401(k) contributions, however, and I was thinking that transferring some of our savings into our 401(k)s could be a good way to lower the taxes we owe. Is this a feasible option? If not, do you have another suggestion? -- Newlywed Tax Blues

Dear Newlywed: Stop right now! Before you do anything, you need to sit down with a certified public accountant, review your situation, and find out if there is anything you can do to reduce the bill that you are not aware of.

Unfortunately, we are not allowed to take money from our personal savings accounts and place it in a 401(k). These are workplace retirement plans, after all. But there is most likely nothing stopping you and your spouse from simply upping your 401(k) contributions. For 2018, the IRS limit is $18,500 or, if you are at least 50 years old, $24,500. Simply ask your employers if you can change the percentage of your salary you put in your 401(k) until you reach either the legal limit or the amount you can afford to put aside. Then change your contributions back to where they were previously.

Use your savings to pay your bills and other living expenses. One catch: You should be aware that you will face a capital gains tax bill if you need to sell off assets to access that money.

Moreover, it's not strictly true that you can't contribute to an IRA and receive a tax deduction when you are contributing to a 401(k). If your joint adjusted gross income is $101,000 or less, you can contribute the full $5,500 ($6,500 if you are 50 or older) to an IRA and receive the full deduction. You can get partial credit if your adjusted gross income is $121,000 or less. In addition, if you or your spouse has a side hustle, you can set up a solo 401(k) or Simplified Employee Pension (SEP), and put a portion of those earnings in it, which will serve the twofold purpose of upping your retirement savings and reducing your tax bill.

One other thing: Congratulations!

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)

Dear Helaine: A few years ago, I began working with a financial adviser I initially liked, but whose judgment I am now questioning due to communication issues. When I email him to ask a question, I receive emails back from his assistants and colleagues, whom I don't know and haven't met with directly. I am not sure he is a fiduciary, and I'm not eager to ask outright because of these communication blunders.

Here's my question: I invested about $50,000 in mutual funds through his firm. I paid the firm a small amount to manage the money, and some small percentage was taken out of my fund when I signed up with them. I can't remember the details now.

Last fall, when we had our annual chat, the adviser recommended I sell half my mutual funds before 2018, and half in January 2018, and place the proceeds in a number of lower-cost index funds. Both funds are growing at a low annual rate. The last time I checked it was between 10 and 20 percent. Earlier this year, I was hit with a tax bill of around $5,000, and I am expecting a similar tax bill this year as well, so I am not eager to add to it by selling off these funds.

My "spider senses" are tingling. Should I look for a new adviser? Will I face another huge tax bill if I find another firm to manage the money? -- Scared to Ask

Dear Scared to Ask: You cannot work with a financial adviser who makes you so uncomfortable you don't feel able to ask something basic like if he has a legal duty to give advice that's in your best interests. I am saying this regardless of whether the adviser is a fiduciary. If you are made to feel like an afterthought when you need assistance, you are in the wrong place.

Now on to the specifics: Those funds sound ... just OK. The S&P 500 gained just under 12 percent in 2016 and a little more than 20 percent last year. I can tell you that over time, you'll almost certainly do better in index funds -- very few managed mutual funds manage to beat their benchmark indexes year after year.

As for the adviser, it does sound like he's attempting to be mindful of the tax bill. Not only will capital gains, if you sell, be paid off over two years, index funds generally throw off less in the way of taxable income than managed mutual funds, because there is a whole lot less buying and selling of stocks going on.

Finally, while one shouldn't make light of a tax bill, you shouldn't allow fear of it to be the sole guide of your investment strategy.

But you should have been told all this. Apparently, you were not, or at least not in a way you understood. While you are hunting for a new adviser, I suggest reaching out to the current one and asking about all this advice, if he is a fiduciary, how much he's charging you per year, and why he's delegated your account to others. The answers will help you evaluate the worth of his suggestions and give you valuable practice for how to engage with your next adviser.

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)