Good luck and glad you are giving yourself a long time to study and research before entering into that.

I plan on being able to do this in about 10 years. I'm going to spend the next 2 years or so really studying different investment options and going that route.

I am sorry to hear that, and I hope you find a way to begin saving for retirement. That is also a great lesson to teach your children as well.

I made the mistake of spending years as a housewife. Now divorced, I can't see retirement being an option for me. I am definitely raising my children to be independent as adults!

Thats not a bad idea at all. I would recommend trying it out before you go into retirement, just to make sure you understand everything that goes into it. It would be a good idea while you are still working to make sure you have a backup plan in case it did not work out.

My retirement plans consist of me being a landlord. I know that sounds crazy, but I have a plan: Just enough units/houses so I can live comfortably and enough money to pay a property maintenance company to do the upkeep.

That is the problem when you work into your 60's , your probably making a reasonably good salary ( based on your profession ) and what is the largest expense of any company , labor . I have seen people retiring at my company with 20 - 35 years put in and I work with people who are in their middle to late 60's who continue to work. Thing is the company is hiring younger people to replace the retiring and at a cheaper rate but the thing is the company is hedging their bet that these young people will stay . Problem is that IT constantly evolves and what is current today will be antiquated in a few years. Hopefully for all that want to continue to work late in life their employer will give them that option ....

I also hope I am able and willing to work into my 60s. But I agree you need to be healthy and provide value ad or people will lay you off.

Been a LONG time Wanderer , hope you are well . Your response was spot on , I do Software development so the physical strain in non existent but mentally you have to be sharp. I have always felt that the moment you stop challenging yourself mentally is the moment the brain slips into " cruise control " for a lack of better words .

One thing I have kept up from my younger days is to stay in shape , in the gym 5 days a week and its been a godsend . While all of us have tried our best to save for retirement we have left our health on the back burner and now it has come back to haunt many of us. I fully understand your point of the body aging , but exercise has slowed down that process for me to the point that I HOPE it will not be a critical factor as I get older as keeping mentally sharp .

I see a lot of people that will be working well into their 60's Wanderer , still saving money , try to stave off being laid off or forced into retirement and doing all they can to slow down the aging process and enjoy life as much as possible

If you don't have enough for retirement or if you aren't healthy to enjoy it, retirement can definitely be a disappointment. You can only plan as much as you can, but ultimately a lot of it is out of your control. I am rather young, but I still try to save as much as I can each month so give me the best possible chance to be able to enjoy a retirement.

I really hope that my mind and body stay healthy enough to retire and live a fun life. I have big plans for retirement. I work for the state and my retirement will be pretty great if I can work until I'm 60.

I feel the same way. I can't see either one of us retiring at an early age simply because we are both very dedicated to our work. I think if anything, my husband would end up opening up his own business where I would help him out and that is what we will do until our bodies stop cooperating with us.

I envision doing something for as long as I can and my husband feels the same way. Health permitting, I don't see us devoting our days to gardening and other such hobbies. That being said, we're doing our best to invest as much as we can in case we get thrown a curve ball that takes that choice away from us. Our retirement is likely going to be strictly based on our health.

A reality check ... fortunately we have Medicare for those that reach 65 years old. It is often better than many group or individual policies even with co-pays and deductibles. Also, the human body and mind function at a different level and in many cases cannot perform at a level well enough to sustain full time employment. The body degrades with age and quickness, body movements, and so on are not at a level to sustain work. Employers will not likely be keeping many older workers. Look at the construction and emergency services field, you require people who are fit and young as they oft find themselves in physically demanding environments older workers cannot perform. As to the use of the crystal ball ... who knows where things will be at. All my life I heard Social Security would not exist yet much of America depends on it because it is very difficult to put aside a life time retirement plan. Life happens and people do not have the capacity to save enought to survive. Food for thought based on living with retirees. See it all the time.

The question is simple . can , or more importantly , will you retire ? How many of us have come to the conclusion that for whatever reason that was in or not in our control , that we can't retire and will work until we can't or the employer were currently working for forces you into early retirement which means you will immediately look for another opportunity once let go ? I could be wrong but I think their is a large segment of our community that will work well past their 70's for nothing else than the medical issues that might arise as they age and the medical insurance offered by their employer that will help them financially deal with these issues. Obviously their will be some that have not planned for retirement for one reason or another and know they don't have enough financially to retire and will continue on . For those in their 50's who have planned and sacrificed for their golden years my hat is off to you and I hope you enjoy your life and do the things you have planned , for those who aren't so fortunate its never too late to start saving and maybe you will have to work a little longer and you might not be able to retire but live your life like there's no tomorrow and enjoy what matters most to you !