>> Not only here on FIRE boards, but it is interesting listening to people outside of FIRE talk about retirement with my family, friends and co-workers. I hear comments all the time like "I'll never retire now" or "it looks like it will be really tight when I retire with social security, if I get much". <<

For those without a good union or public sector pension, this is very true. The vast majority of us relying on 401Ks are feeling more and more like the retirement train left the station without us.

Those of us who have saved and invested a lot since a young age can probably pull it off, but the rest of the 401K generation can probably forget about it. Retirement doesn't just magically happen after 30+ years of work with no savings for people who don't have their father's pension.

>> The good news is that the current economic malaise has gotten many people's attention regarding personal financial responsibility. For example, there is a wave of people in my office who have plugged into Dave Ramsey's teachings and have focused on his 7 step program: <<

It is good in the long run but is contributing to recession, unemployment, deflation and pain in the short term. Unfortunately it's medicine we need to take no matter how bad it tastes today.

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