Retirement Article

There's no polite way to say it: Americans are over a barrel when it comes to retirement.

Two decades of slow-rolling growth and the worst crisis since the Great Depression mean around 40% of today's workforce has nothing saved for retirement.

Too many people have too little money and too little time. And too many of them don't even realize it.

There's no big conspiracy, no giant hose job going on; it's a tragedy of errors. People are settling for subpar returns…

…and it's dooming them to a dismal retirement.

This is a grim picture, sure, but I'm not finished yet.

Con artists are using the "grandparents scam" to rake in thousands of dollars each day.

They're literally capitalizing on people's emotions.

According to Time.com, more than 50% of Americans age 35-54 have less than $10,000 saved for retirement. How we got to this point over the last 15 years is hardly surprising.

In the wake of the Great Recession, many people saw their 401(k)s wiped out, and they lost a lot of faith in the financial markets. Members of Generation X lost 45% of their average net worth during the financial crisis, according to the Financial Times.

If you find yourself in this group, let me start by reminding you of two things:

First, you are not alone. Millions of Americans are in the same situation.

Second, you have plenty of time to start building or rebuilding a retirement nest egg that'll put you on your way. According to retirement experts, most Americans have time to catch up and reach their retirement goals.

If you've already started saving money, consider yourself ahead of the game. But you still need to set aggressive goals if you want to retire at 60.

This time of year always puts me in a reflective mood.

Today, I'm thinking of a simple, crumpled sheet of yellow paper…

On it – scrawled in blue ink – is a hastily written note from wife to husband.

This simple note is one of the more interesting "artifacts" from 9/11.

And despite that simplicity, the note conveys a powerful lesson.

During the anniversary season of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington – and in the continuing aftermath of the Harvey and Irma disasters – this lesson is one folks must take to heart.

Are you part of the majority of Americans who know less than they should about retirement?

Retirees can earn up to $2,300 a month or more from Big Tobacco's 20-year-old lawsuit.

These are called "forever payments" and they can completely change your financial future.