I'm a high earner, but started late. At age 35, I was a single mother with no money (I mean no money -- no 401K, no savings, nothing), $44,000 in student loans, a $511 monthly car payment, $3,000 in monthly childcare bills, a 1.5-hour commute each way (which directly caused the enormous childcare bills), and a $2,400 monthly rent. Eight years later my situation is vastly different (I have no non-mortgage debt now, around $100,000 in home equity and around $200,000 in investments, including 401K and college savings). This is mostly due to going after a higher income, but I am also starting to learn to save.
I'm still way, way behind.