Retirement funds are the security that you're building up over the course of your working years and you don't want to put them in jeopardy. So if a person is going to do that, they should really make sure that the payback is there, that the means of paying back the loan is there.

I have not yet seen any sign of a selling panic. I've had much more pressure on me in the last couple of weeks not to have cash in portfolios and to have the money fully invested.

So many people don't know how to approach retirement. The thing is, if you have some plans, you can step right into it with some gusto. I never would have dreamed when I was 75 what I would have accomplished when I was 80.

Our battle for retirement security included exhaustive efforts in the courts, on Capitol Hill and at the bargaining table. Within the context of bankruptcy and today's political climate, this agreement provides a foundation of retirement security for flight attendants.

We really need to think about four pillars for retirement. ... The first pillar is Social Security. The second is individual pensions or savings. The third is health insurance, very important. And the fourth, surprisingly, is the continued ability to earn, because many people are going to need to find some way of bringing in earnings after they pass normal retirement age, and we think that that should be more and more emphasized in terms of getting ready for that possibility.

Social Security is not a retirement savings plan; it is a social insurance program. It's a contract that says, as a society, we will look out for you and your family when you can no longer work.