RetirementAge

A reader asks: "What's a realistic retirement age? How much longer will most of us have to work?" The answer depends on how successful you've been at saving, how cushy a lifestyle you want, and, of course, when you prefer to disengage.

Social Security has promises to pay out $41.4 trillion in future benefits, but it has just $34.5 trillion in assets and expected income to cover those promises. You do the math.

Mitt Romney recently turned 65, but won't be signing for Social Security anytime soon. It's not because he's rich, and it's not because he hopes to be in the White House, either: It's because he's following the smart money course.

With so many pundits fretting about Social Security's possible collapse in 2036, it's hard to be optimistic about the entitlement program's future. But one insurance expert thinks that giving retirees a bit more flexibility could save the entire system.

Social Security's trust fund is in the long, slow process of collapsing because it won't have enough funds to pay its promised benefits. Sound like a Ponzi scheme? Perhaps, but at least this "scheme" is one in which you can come out ahead -- especially if you start preparing now.

Do you really want to work your whole life? An alarming number of workers think they'll have to -- and that number is rising. More than a quarter of workers age 50 and older expect to retire at 70 or later. Even worse, one in six Americans think they'll never be able to retire.

Most people's big worry about Social Security these days is that it won't be there at all when they retire. But what they should be worrying about is how to boost their benefits down the road. Here are four ways to do that:

A spate of recent surveys highlight the dark trends around retirement in America. More of us expect to work significantly later in life, fewer of us think we're saving enough -- and the ones who think they are are often wrong. But it may not be too late for you to take some good advice.

Three separate surveys released this week show rising levels of anxiety among Americans over when -- or whether -- they'll be able to stop working. And even where confidence is rising, some of it may be misplaced.

Planning for retirement? Don't panic. Here's why you should ignore the market mayhem: You have complete control over the most important component of your retirement plan -- your contributions.