(Photo: Shutterstock)

A recent article from Bustle titled "How to Save for Retirement in Your 20s" powerfully explained why saving for the future is one of the best financial decisions young people can make. This is particularly true for women, who typically live longer than men and need their retirement funds to stretch further.

However, according to a recent study by GOBankingRates, women are only contributing half as much to their retirement accounts annually as men are. In addition, women's median earnings were 81% of men's in 2018. Until the income gap gets closed for good, women will likely receive less in Social Security benefits, since those benefits are based on individuals' lifetime earnings.

For these reasons, it is imperative that women establish a strong foundation early in their careers for their retirement savings. If you're like most people, you probably associate saving for retirement with a 401(k) or IRA. And while 401(k)s and IRAs are great retirement savings vehicles, there's an often-overlooked vehicle that outshines them both: a health savings account, or HSA.