One of the manay lost sheep takes time to ask for info

[mickeyd]

Pretty good basic advice given in this article. I keep forgetting that most folks have not invested any time at all in planning for any activity past the next vacation. With millions of boomers set to retire tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, there are a lot of lost sheep out there that need a lot guidance. If they are lucky, they will stumble onto this message board or one of the other handfull of sites that are capable of dishing out acurate advice.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/24/pf/e...ex.htm?cnn=yes

Here's what I suggest: Instead of investing your money in bonds or some other vehicle that pays regular interest, build a diversified portfolio that includes both stocks and bonds (or, more likely, stock funds and bond funds).

The big advantage to this approach is that the stock portion of your portfolio has the potential to grow a lot more than bonds alone. And that growth will allow you to increase the amount you withdraw from your portfolio as you age, which in turn will help you maintain your purchasing power in the face of inflation.

... I realize that the approach I'm advocating involves more effort than just throwing your money into a bond fund and hoping for the best. But better to put the time and effort in today than to find yourself in the unenviable position of having to adjust to a much lower standard of living 20 years from now.