The 401K has always existed for the benefit of corporations and individuals with executive salaries, not middle class workers.

Other ideas for overhauling the 401(k) system are being advanced. UC Berkeley political scientist Jacob Hacker, author of “The Great Risk Shift,” has proposed a variation of guaranteed government retirement accounts.

President-elect Barack Obama so far has called for modest changes to the 401(k) system, such as temporarily allowing penalty-free withdrawals for people facing economic trouble and suspending requirements that seniors older than 70 1/2 make annual withdrawals from their accounts.

Husband will retire January 2010. But he will continue to work at his part-time job and as an adviser to an insurance company .... because he is healthy and wants to keep busy and because he enjoys what he does.

Sadly, that's not the option for everyone; and who knows?? it may not be an option a year from now, but planning for everyone is important and he's been planning what his retirement would be for almost our entire marriage. Everyone should have a plan...even if it doesn't go quite according to 'plan'.

Who get the money of your "plan"?

Thanks for this clip Kauaiguy!
Very interesting! This sounds believable! US-statistics are mostly real. Not so in the most european countries.
"Pimp your statistics" is a special science or better said - artwork. And the interpretation of politicians is another artwork.