Let's see if we can get some agreement: planning for retirement in America.?
I want to see if we can at least get agreement on some basic retirement planning advice. I'm going to list some basic guidelines for retirement planning and see if we can at least get some agreement on this. Rules on planning for retirement 1. Learn to get by with less: If you're the sort of person who is addicted to Big Box store sales and going out to eat at all those mid-level chain restaurants; always having the latest cell-phone; picking up on that new Internet subscription service, etc. then you'll never be able to retire. If you ever expect to have anything in this economy you have to come to the realization that the majority of goods and services available to consumers nowadays are pathetic garbage that really wouldn't be worth having even if they were offered to you for free. Save your money. Buy second-hand or vintage goods wherever possible. Aside from your food, underwear, t-shirts and socks there is really very little that you have to buy new. 2. Get an education: the differential in income levels between those with and without a college education is growing. High-school graduates in this country typically earn less than $12 an hour (2011 dollars) for most of their lifetime, and many reach retirement age with nothing more than Social Security checks to retire on. 3. Compare interest rates: many Americans get caught in the trap of putting money into retirement accounts when they have outstanding debt at interest rates higher than they're earning in their retirement accounts. Paying off high interest debt is better for you in the long run than putting money into low-interest investment accounts. 4. Plan on retiring - sort of: few Americans will ever be able to retire completely. With many American main-streets being loaded with empty store-fronts many retirees may want to look into starting small businesses: such as small independent specialty shops to help them maintain some sort of income. Your business doesn't have to be in its own storefront. Develop a business plan that will leverage the professional skills you've built up over your lifetime and plan on having a second career as a freelancer well into your retirement years. That's just four basic guidelines. Can we all at least agree on these guidelines? Where are the conservative comments? I get three inane comments from three useless jack-wads and where are the rest of you? Taking notes?

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