Ben Stein's Cruel Truth About Retirement

For most of us, by far our biggest financial liability is going to be our retirement. Living without working is not easy, and it's getting more difficult as defined-benefit corporate pension plans go the way of the do-do bird. To live comfortably off your capital requires a very large amount of capital relative to our earnings....

There are several points here. One is that the amount of saving the pre-retiree has to do even with a fairly good head start is fantastic.... So, prepare to save a lot....

Second, you must remember that inflation will still be eating away at your savings after you retire. Many people forget that, and it hurts them dearly.

http://finance.yahoo.com/columnist/article/yourlife/3679