Speaking the Truth...

Today's post is for Gen X'ers, Gen Y and any Millenial who is paying attention:

Great leaders speak the truth. They do it in an emotionally intelligent way, but they speak the truth.

I'm going to take the lead here and speak an important truth to Generations X (to which I belong), Gen Y, Millenials and beyond. This is important so I'm going to say it slowly:

You...will....not.....retire....like...your...parents....

I've been saying this for some time. Now the data is in to back me up.

The Employee Benefit Research Institute reports that most people are not saving enough to retire comfortably. (Read their report: "Will More of Us Work Forever?" here...)

I'll admit it: I'm not.

Most of my friend aren't. Between.....

Debt: student loans, car loans, mortgages and the myriad of other expenses required for living today;

A "guns and oil" economy: that we're in, an economy where the national debt is at an all-time high; of crumbling (read: unsupported) infrastructure; and businesses that outsource labor off-shore for short-term profits (and long-term pain);

Shifting the Burden: combined with an increased shifting of the burden toward individuals being responsible for their retirement accounts...

...it is simply not feasible to expect that the average America worker is saving anything near the amount required to retire. Certainly -- for Gen X, Y, and the upcoming Millenials -- nowhere near the amount required to live retired life in the same style that our parents do today.

Fortunately, I enjoy my work... and it gets better with age. I've met expert coaches, consultants and therapists in their 70's and 80's who were traveling the world teaching and training -- and getting paid for it.

That's where I'm going to be.

How about you?

Unless you plan differently, you'll be stuck in the same type of job at age 65 (the age when your dad was hitting the golf course full-time).

You might not like it.....

...but it's the truth.