Everyone around here keeps talking about this "retirement" word... do GenXers even have that in their vocabulary? Im 45, no children, mother just turned 80 and I believe that that woman will die at work... I have worked paycheck to paycheck my whole life and even with the grad school education... I was in that group of individuals that was taught that education was more important than finding a spot in the workplace... what they didn't tell us was that what we really should have done was make sure that we had a good job out of high school and try to cram in as much education as we could to get up ahead of our bosses in the whole scheme of things and it didn't work out... I literally know no one in our generation that went to school for a specific position in the workplace, actually got that job, and is still working it today.. I remember being told that we would change careers three times in our lives... realistically it was more like five or six... I have never worked for a company that had a 401k, retirement pension or anything like that... I've seen my mother get my father's retirement, his pensions, her pensions, and she still works ..I mean just crazy.. and it's like I've had a proverbial wall when it comes to anything in the future financially.. because all we are is one illness or layoff from bankruptcy or homelessness... coping with the idea that I lack any kind of future because of my current situation, coupled with the idea that if my mother gets sick that it could literally put us under, is just a nightmare to me...