Sometimes you get weary of all the disastrous financial news about retirement savings shortfalls. And sometimes you just want a quick answer to the question, “Can I retire at 66?”

Marketwatch has a great retirement planning tool that lets you visualize retirement and tweak the inputs – what you have, how much you’ve save, and your target retirement age – and tells you whether or not you can afford to retire. Please click here to view: http://www.marketwatch.com/retirement/tools/retirement-planning-calculator

It gives you the answer straight up: “You cannot afford to retire at 66.”

That quick answer, especially if it’s a yes, may be just enough information for you.

Or maybe you want to tweak you inputs to see if you pump a little more cash into retirement accounts, you’ll be able to flee corporate America five years earlier.  The tool helps you make those calculations quickly.

Many people are thinking of downsizing to help make the retirement goal come even sooner. Pete Veres – Senior Real Estate Specialist with RE/MAX has an excellent downsizing program and team in place if you are considering downsizing.  You can start by going to www.ABQDownsize.com