OK, so most of us are pensionless, reduced pensioned, or not real confident a pension will be there in 10 - 25 years. The average Joe Schmo is left for the most part on your own to figure out what retirement plan options are out there. These include, but are not limited to 401(k), 457, and Roth IRA.

A lot of companies are using 401(k) plans to serve as part of the employee's benefit package. The company may match dollar for dollar up to a certain percentage, or partial match up to a certain percentage. If you have a 401(k) plan, do you contribute to it? If not you may be loosing "free money". Even though what the company matches is usually a small amount, over time it can add up to a very nice amount.

401(k) Match: Free Money?

You don't have to be a stock broker, or a financial genius to plan for retirement. However, a person does need some information to help get started or learn how to make improvements to what you already have going.