You have to have a plan to get to the finish line. I've been fortunate. Before I retired I worked as a motivational speaker. I made money and I saved it. I made sure to put away 20 percent of my income into investments. That's advice my Daddy gave me and it's something I did for nearly
50 years, every year, before I retired. Whenever I see friends or family now, who didn't heed that advice, I always tell them: It's never too late to start, but you better not waste another day.
Dave, 69, Chicago
Without the lottery I'm in trouble. I'm only partly kidding. I'm blessed with good genes. Both of my parents are in their early 90s and still alive. Using that as an example, I've got another 30 years to worry about. Not only that, but I've been taking care of my parents and two of my grandkids who I had to take on when my daughter got in some trouble. The good thing is I've always been a saver. From the very start, I always set aside as much money as I could afford each month. Another thing is I have good benefits. I worked for the government until I retired. I never did make all that much in salary, but the benefits are great and seem to pay me almost as much as my job did. The last thing is our family owns some land here that we've all held onto for the right time to sell. Even though the real estate market has taken a hit, we figure we'll sell in the next few years and that will provide us all with additional income.
Mel, 63, Castle Rock, Colo.
