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Sorry to be depressing on a Monday, but this is important.

Research conducted by James Poterba at MIT, Steven Venti at Darmouth, and David Wise from Harvard finds that 46 percent of Americans are dying with less than $10,000 in financial assets after having spent the latter part of their lives relying on government help. That means if anything drastic should happen, like a medical emergency, many people will not have the finances to cover the bill.  In fact, (and in a cruel twist), there’s also a connection between health and wealth. The healthier you are, the more money you’re likely to have and the better quality of life you will enjoy.

Kiplinger says that Americans should have $1 million in retirement savings in order to earn $40,000 in income. We’ve noted the previous research showing the Americans are not contributing to a retirement fund and the fact that more people are tapping into their 401(K) accounts to pay their daily expenses. Times are tough, but retirement planning must be on your list of financial goals. If not, your golden years will be tarnished by financial hardship.