A recent survey of Americans showed that most of us – especially those of us who have not yet reached our fiftieth birthdays – put off retirement planning, for a variety of reasons. Many of us feel that retirement is too far off to start thinking about. Some Americans think that retirement planning makes them think too much about their own mortality. A quarter of survey respondents, age 40 and above, put off retirement planning because they simply don’t know how to do it.

An experienced retirement planning professional can demystify the process for you. In a world where retirement has become incredibly complex, retirement planning can help you understand how the choices you make today can impact your quality of life tomorrow.

America’s Baby Boomer generation is already redefining what it means to be “retired.” A growing number of Americans plan to remain vital and active through their retirement years, whether that means growing a business or traveling the world. Without the right retirement planning, you could find yourself in the same predicament as too many older Americans – working to pay the bills during your golden years.

Obviously, the earlier you sit down with a retirement planning professional, the sooner you can build your plan for the future. A recent column in the Wall Street Journal highlighted the fact that many Americans can use careful retirement planning to build a portfolio of a million dollars or more – as long as they let their investments do most of the hard work.