In my ideal life, I planned my retirement with great care. I saved regularly, invested wisely, and lived within my income. A savvy stock picker, I bought low, sold high, and made money.
But in my real life, I had no plan for retirement. In my 30s and 40s, with a wife, three kids, and a reporter’s modest salary, I saved hardly at all. Not until I was in my 50s, when my wife, Sara, went back to work and my salary improved, were we able to save. As for stocks, I frequently lost money. It’s embarrassing to admit all this because—as a financial writer at the Washington Post—I should have been well prepared for retirement. But I was always too busy to focus on what I needed to know and do. So while I did a couple of things right, I made several key mistakes.
