Retirement & You 2011 - Special Report

Think of saving for retirement as a second job. If you work hard at achieving some of your goals, you're more likely to outlive your savings.

It's become fashionable to say that longer life spans mean average Americans work well into into their 60s and possibly their 70s—a time once considered the early retirement years. The problem is, few prospects await most people who need or want to stay in the workforce.

Taxes can drag on wealth creation and preservation, so it's important to make sure you have the right assets assigned to your investment and retirement accounts .

While some are forced to put off full-time retirement to pay the bills and keep up with uninsured medical costs, others are choosing to work to stay active and pursue interests they didn’t have time for during their nine-to-five years.

The goal used to be to pay off your mortgage by the time you quit working. That's no longer the case for some borrowers, even if they can afford it. Why? Liquidity, baby.

Try paying for your children's college education while you're in the home stretch of saving for your own retirement.  

Also known as lifecycle funds, these mutual funds take the hard work out of building a diversified portfolio, and can take you all the way through your retirement years