[MMARSH]

I'll be the first to admit when I was a young 24 year old entering the work force. The last thing on my mind was what or how I'd be living when I was 70. I'm fortunate that I got into a field with a pension and medical for life and mentors advised me to also invest into our 401K when I first started. Other then that, over the years I wasn't to concerned about retirement. I wasn't frugal, I was racing a Porsche, but I didn't buy new cars or trailers either.

I just retired about 6 months ago, right when I turned 55, Due to no union dues and not paying into retirement and my 401K, I bring home more money now then I was when I was working and just got a letter that it's going up due to COLA. I haven't touched my 401K. My wife has the same deal as me and will retire in about 2 years.

I can say I didn't really appreciate the value of my retirement until I was much older and started seeing what the OP was saying. Seeing people HAVE to work till they are 70 in order to keep some semblance of their lifestyle. Although i dont make 300K a year in retirement, I feel extremely fortunate that we are not only able to make ends meet, but we are able do all the things we want to do without any financial worries. It's a tremendous feeling of security.