As this 86 year young woman can attest, some of us can have both! Many Americans spend their lives working hard and dreaming of the day they can finally retire. But planning for retirement requires more than dreaming — it means being strategic and focused on saving money, among other things. Of the 47.8 million Americans ages 65 and older, the average income is only $38,515 dollars, according to the U.S. Census, and their average net worth is $170,516. With numbers like that, saving for retirement can be challenging. Average life expectancy is not a good way to plan for how much money you’ll need in retirement; many Americans live much longer than the average of 78.7 years, going well into their 80s or 90s. According to the Social Security Administration's website, a healthy 65-year-old woman has a very good chance of living to age 86, and a 65-year-old man has a good chance of reaching age 84. Older adults should save for a retirement that could last 20 years.