The ThirdAge Retirement Troubleshooter |
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Are you thinking about retirement? Are those thoughts filled with visions of sailing, starting your own business, or traveling the world? Or does your mind just go blank? Either way, you need a plan.
Before you get tied to a vision of your future, you need to assess where you are today. A combination of increased longevity and decreased savings is leading to a retirement crisis. People might be longer in retirement than in their working years. The fact is that most baby boomers haven't saved enough for their golden years, and many don't want to slow down. So ThirdAgers are completely redefining the concept of retirement, both out of desire and out of need.
According to the 1998 Retirement Confidence Survey conducted annually by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 37 percent of Americans have amassed a retirement nest egg of less than $50,000, and 10 percent have saved less than $10,000 for their Golden Years. To further complicate the problem, Americans could be living much longer in retirement than their ancestors. The same survey shows that Americans also are moving toward their later years with high hopes--72 percent of respondents want to retire by the traditional age of 65.
So here's a tool to help you avoid your own personal crisis. When you give a little time to planning, you free up a lot of time for dreaming.
Ready, Set, Go!
Start right here. Follow these threads from ThirdAge Money Insider Jeff Fleming and see what you discover about your perceptions and preparedness for retirement.
Which of the following statements best describes your thoughts and feelings about retirement?
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