Saving for retirement

[tangent4ronpaul]

Came across an article saying 51% of households don't save enough for retirement.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...758990104.html

What bothers me about that is that the word "inflation" isn't mentioned once. Beck brought up that even with the FED planned 2% inflation rate, in 50 years a dollar saved today would be worth a penny then. Worse, shadow stats claims the real inflation rate is 15%. All and all, the game seems rigged and savings might be re-defined as slow motion wealth loss.

So what's the solution? I'm pretty sure 401(k)s don't return 2% a year, savings accounts don't. Stocks might de slightly better than that. PM's tend to gain value in times like these, but could loose value.

Given space, a case of TP or light bulbs bought today will be cheaper than if bought tomorrow, but that involves storage and is not really moving friendly.

This seems like it should be a short term problem, as things will probably crash or get better in 5-10 years and re-set one way or the other,

Your best investment might be a garden...

Discussion?

[acptulsa]

If the ants aren't very careful, the grasshoppers and the ants are going to make strange bedfellows. Once the ants get robbed, though, they're liable to organize the grasshoppers into an army.

[Mahkato]

I just hate that I'm effectively forced to contribute to my retirement account every month, and not touch the money until I retire, even though I believe there's a good chance that it will be nearly worthless when I finally do.

[Matt Collins]

One can't save for retirement, the only way to do it is to invest for retirement. Investing in the market, if done right, is your safest choice, and also protects against inflation too.

[Stary Hickory]

Only smart people will be able to retire, you have to beat the system. A system which is made to steal from you at every turn.

[Southron]

I don't plan on retiring but if I can just match inflation with my savings I'd be ecstatic.

[Matt Collins]

if I can just match inflation with my savings I'd be ecstatic.

You can't, it's impossible. If you want to store wealth, then PMs is your best place to transfer it to. If you want to grow your wealth, then you must invest it.

[Stary Hickory]

PMs won't hold all your value, the entire world is in a inflation induced nightmare, where there is so much more money than there is stuff.....everyone is going to lose, just some worse than others.

[MelissaWV]

I intend to work precisely as long as I want. I have seen way too many people "retire" only to become bored and complacent and, eventually, just die.

There's a strange idea that people got along the way (I blame commercials!) that you're going to retire, be sexy with your spouse, and cruise around the world before coming back to your large and spectacular retirement home on the beach somewhere. What? Why?! How?! You'd not only have to save/invest... you'd have to come out way ahead. Most of us don't live like that normally; how would we live that way once we're not even working?

Save a little for a rainy day, invest whatever you can spare to combat inflation, and never lose sight of what's basic and important to you. If you have food, water, shelter, transportation, and health, you're off to a good start.

[ivflight]

...even with the FED planned 2% inflation rate, in 50 years a dollar saved today would be worth a penny then.

Fail.

It would have 0.37 times the purchasing power it used to have.