What, if anything, would you have done differently to prepare for retirement?

Retirement assumes that you will leave the working arena and start living your life. Social Security, years ago, could support you when you retired, but today, people younger than 50 may not have any funds left, because our governments have been using the fund as a fix-all when they need to ?borrow’ some money for their pet programs.

Today you can’t start collecting Social Security at age 62, so people are forced to continue to work. Health care costs have risen so much and people are living longer, so they have to work to pay for their prescriptions, heat, airconditioning and food.

Hindsight is always 20-20. I just came to the conclusion about four months ago that I will never get to retire. One, I would be so bored that I would have to continue working. Second, it is depressing to think that ?this is all there is.’ It isn’t; I still want to travel, buy new cars, etc. My life will look very different than I was expecting when I was in my 20s, but that is OK. Every day is a new adventure in living.”

- Shelly T., 60
Parker, Colo.