A Late-Starter's Guide to Saving for Retirement

That dreaded question -- if you're like a lot of ThirdAgers, it forms
like a knot in your stomach: Have I waited too long to start saving for
retirement?

Have you panicked like Tracy A. and George B.? For George's 50th
birthday they cashed out yet another IRA and went to Costa Rica for a
week. Believing they would never save enough for retirement, they
decided it didn't matter if they saved anything.

Or perhaps you're more like James C. At 60, he has very little savings,
and he doesn't see how he will ever have any more. He plans to work
until ill health stops him and then live whatever lifestyle Social
Security and Medicare can provide. After all, 10 million American
retirees live solely on Social Security and Medicare, don't they? The
question for James, and anyone else who got a late start saving for
retirement, is this: Do you really want to be one of them? Is this the
best you can hope for?

Waiting until age 50 or 60 to save for retirement is late -- but not
too late. So stop sweating out sleepless nights, and start saving. If
you're serious about saving, what you do now CAN improve your future.
Follow these steps to get on your way to a secure retirement.