Two of our closest friends shared a real shocking admission with us the other evening. We were sitting around the scrabble board and it turns out that they are extremely worried about how to possibly retire. I was completely dumbfounded.

Here is a really great early sixties aged couple, living the upper-middle class lifestyle. We’ll call them Kathy and John. They have the nicest children and two of the greatest grand-children anyone could ask for. She works as a director of a major cancer concern and he works as a senior manager in his field.

These are hard working people who’ve done everything right, except one thing. They haven’t saved any money. All through their adult life they kept saying they would start tomorrow, and tomorrow is now gone.

For the past four years, right before my very eyes have been some close friends living the BIG LIE I always talk about. They live in a beautiful three bedroom home in one of the finest neighborhoods in the Phoenix metro area. They’ve each had two new vehicles since we’ve known them. They did go to Alaska the year before last but other than that they seem frugal. They each have upper management positions at their places of employment. It appears to the casual observer, they’ve got it all.

Truth is they’ve got less than $50,000 of net worth and they’re used to living on about $90,000 a year.

A Quick Tip:
More & More Seniors Are Financially Strapped

Please don’t think I’m judging my friends here, I’m not. It’s just not that hard to save ten percent of a bodies take-home pay folks. They simply never got into the habit. Now, they know they’ll be forced to downsize and their SHOW lifestyle will end as abruptly as simply hitting a brick wall. What were they thinking?

One of the things I don’t like about the way these talk-shows interview people like me is the way the interview typically goes. Then people call in with questions that don’t have a damn thing to do with personal finance. The questions are quick-tips about what’s popular today. It’s sensationalism and great for the ratings. It’s what people want to hear. It’s not what they need to hear about the topic.

How can well educated people be duped for so long? Well, everywhere they turn they are told to spend, spend, spend. The media, especially television portrays a lifestyle that everyone would like to attain.

Next comes the commercial break with an offer of more consumer credit. Truth is it’s not attainable to the vast majority of Americans. Sure it’s attainable with easy monthly payments. But that’s self-imposed enslavement isn’t it? DUHHH!

If you’re not saving ten-percent of your take-home income, learn how to do it. I’d love it if you used my book to get the ideas but get the information somewhere. You’ll not like to go through what Kathy and John are going to have to deal with over the next decade or two.