your money

This is an important article... too many people are unprepared for retirement, and expect that social security will get them by. It is never too late to start preparing, but first you have to have goals. I have goals. I am young (in my 30s) but still have been taught to plan ahead. Sure, money is tight now (I bought some rental properties and that is really affecting my cash flow during these economic times) but once they are paid for (in 20-25 years) they will be part of my retirement plan. So forking out $1,500 or so each year (and getting a tax write off now), although it feels like a hard pinch right now, it will feel like nothing, and be a blessing when I retire. I also have a side business that I started 6 years ago, and it is actually bringing in a decent amount of side income... and I only spend about 30 minutes a day with it. So as that increases through the years, that will be another thing that I am planning on using for retirement (besides a ROTH IRA account, my 401k at my work, etc). My contributions are very small, but at least it gets me into the habit of saving! Try it. Even if it is $25 per month. Get yourself into the habit... and as your earning potential increases, continue to increase the amount you put toward retirement. I suggest looking into ROTH IRAs. Of course you have to consider what tax bracket you will be in for retirement, to see if a ROTH or traditional IRA is right for you. Good luck. And get started!!

I think people yes, need to plan for retirement BUT they still need to live thier lives because as we all know, things do happen and you may be dead before you retire. Get into the habit of saving anything you can but just save something. As a 45 yr old with a disability, I do understand that with age and issues come limitations. When your 65 or 70 you can't vacation like you could have at 25 or 30. Do what you want to do now because you may not be able to do in 10 or 20 years but save something for the retirement day...