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Clark Howard's Tips

April 21, 2008

Members of Generation X don't think they'll ever be able to stop working, according to a survey from the BetterInvesting organization. Most adults age 27-42 have saved minimally at best for their retirement. In fact, 40% have saved almost nothing at all!

Here's the upside: Gen X is not in denial about the dwindling of Social Security. They know they should be saving for retirement -- they just haven't done it. Well, the first step to getting better is to admit that you're ill!

If you don't save, you'll probably have to continue working until you drop. That's so unlike the scenario that faced most baby boomers -- a generation that really lived it up in the golden years. But at the current rate, Gen X won't even have the option of retirement. It goes without saying that Clark wants Gen X to reduce debt and save along the way.

It all begins by buying only the things that you can afford on a day-to-day basis. That's means no 0% in-store financing. We're at a unique juncture in American history where we have the permission to indebt ourselves into oblivion. But that's a choice. And if you make it, you may have to work your whole lifetime and never stop.

Consumer advice courtesy of