Are you saving enough?

For more information on managing your largest investment, check out Gerri Willis' 'Home Rich,' now in bookstores.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The personal savings rate has been rising: In the last three months of 2008, it hit its highest level in six years.

But are you saving enough? Here are some strategies on how to save at every age.

1. Starting out

When you are in your 20s, you have big demands on a small paycheck. Now more than ever, you need to get started saving.

Your first step: Put together emergency savings by having money directly deposited to a savings account or money market mutual fund.

You can find rates of interest on these products at bankrate.com or hsh.com. By setting aside three to six months worth of savings, you'll set yourself up to weather most any storm.

And don't forget about saving for the long term. At this age you can afford to take a lot of risk in your retirement savings. Your asset allocation in a 401(k) or IRA as a 20-something can be aggressive, with 70% to 80% in stocks and the remainder in bonds and other investments.

As you start to save for big ticket items like a house, check out the "Savings Goal Calculator" at bankrate.com, where you can figure out how long it will take you to meet savings goals given investment returns.

2. Mid-career moves

In your 30s, your obligations are growing. You may have a house and children.

Now is the time to start salting away money for your child's education. A 529 college savings plan is a great vehicle for doing just that.

Go to savingforcollege.com for details, but count on putting aside 4% to 5% of your monthly gross income to get started. Now that your income is probably growing, you can afford to put some savings away and not touch it.

Usually certificates of deposit will offer you higher yields than a passbook savings account. You can ladder their maturities when they come due ,and you don't suffer from fluctuating interest rates.

Now is the time to ratchet back your stock investment in your 401(k) or IRA. A better allocation might be 70% stocks and 30% bonds.

3. Stepping it up

In your 40s, it's the time to take advantage of the progress you've already made and step it up a notch.

If you haven't been contributing to the max in your 401(k), do so now. You may even want to set up an additional investing brokerage account to supplement your savings.

Also, now that your income is most likely rising, you've probably hit a higher tax bracket. Seek out tax-advantaged investments, like municipal bonds, to make the most of your savings. Muni bonds are IOUs issued by state and local governments to raise money for public projects. Their interest is typically tax-free. You may opt to invest in a muni bond mutual fund to get your money working right away. Drop you 401(k) stock allocation to 60%, and raise bonds to 40%.