The Orlando Sentinal published an article by Jane Glass Haas, citing Sandra Timmerman’s research on aging Boomers. Haas says many of them are ill-prepared and feel they won’t do as well as their parents. She points out that the world is more complex now, although others have argued that we may simply have distorted memories of our parents’ retirement. Stop and think about your parents, or grandparents, when they were your age. First of all, since you were so young, they probably looked much older than they were.

Chances are their career paths have been easier. White collar workers and factory workers put in their years and retired. Women were more likely to stay home. People in sales or construction, seasonal work, homemakers, service providers, freelancers, and business owners can work indefinitely. In fact, his pattern is probably the closest to what we’re seeing today. Chances are they are more likely to stay in one place. Perhaps they traveled after retirement and then returned home. Maybe they went to Florida or some other sunny place. Maybe they spent more time at the summer house.

Timmerman suggests that everyone contemplating retirement should consider working with a life coach to figure out what they want to do with the next 30 years and a financial advisor to figure out how to pay for it. Some of us have been ants and have amassed provisions for the winter. Some of us have been grasshoppers and have had a great time spending perhaps a little faster than we earned. Some of us just never earn enough, or never think we earn enough, to save.

I did a quick survey of my retired friends and found a high income of $15,000 a month at a minimum of $2,400. And people everywhere in between. If you find yourself on the low end, it’s never too late. Go find yourself a financial advisor. NOW. Go to a retirement organization’s website and use all the wonderful forms there. It’s possible to start saving after age 60 and, with a good budget but not too much pain, save enough to add $1,500 a month to your retirement income.

He still has some good earning years ahead of him. Do it now!