Below are the sums needed for retirement according to the US Census Bureau as of July 13, 2014. The problem wasn’t lack of discipline. The problem was there just wasn’t enough money to set aside after paying the bills and providing for the family. Now you are on the other side of forty and retirement is creeping closer and closer. You may or may not have a pension, but reality is; even if you do have a pension, you probably won’t be able to live the life you’re accustomed to.