So what makes for an actually useful retirement planner? Let's start with your actual, live investment account data, updated regularly. A free calculator is at best a snapshot in time, whereas a program like ours will keep track of your investment accounts' performance and holdings over longer periods. If your mutual funds and ETFs change up their portfolio holdings, their anticipated performance (based on the asset classes they hold) will be automatically handled in WealthTrace.

There is more than one right way to generate the income you need in retirement. That may be obvious, but it's good news, so it's worth stating and spelling out. Each source of income has its pros and cons--and various mixes of asset classes that generate that income have their pros and cons as well.

Fees can be a killer to a retirement portfolio, and the problems compound over time. Many people investing in the company’s 401(k) plan have no idea what the fees are on the funds they invest in. They also have no idea if they are paying a 401(k) administrative fee.

In the first quarter of 2018 not one single company in the S&P 500 cut its dividend. This is the first time this has ever happened. At this rate, 2018 will post its seventh straight record in terms of dividend payouts for companies.

Be sure to get the free money at least--which is to say, what your employer matches. It might be a dollar-for-dollar match up to a certain amount, or something that vests over time.