With foreclosures still looming, and high levels of unemployment, it doesn’t seem like you’d be able to save a dime. But that doesn’t have to be you! We asked senior financial consultant Chris Millio for some common-sense tips to ride out the financial storm.

Retired? Trying to decide whether you’ll play golf every morning or keep a part-time job at the local grocery store? One of the first steps toward a successful retirement is to create a vision of what you’ll be retiring from, and what you’ll be retiring to.

• Keep in mind what this newly available time will cost, and what you’ll do to stay occupied.

• Communicate regularly with your spouse about what retirement will look like – one of you might want to be in the Bahamas, and the other might want to be near the family in Maine.

• Develop some non-work interests.

• Ask yourself: Will your money outlive you, or will you outlive your money? You have to figure out what you’re going to spend, and how long you’ll need to spend it. One of the largest dangers is outliving your assets. If you’re spending too much, you’ll need to figure out the endurance of your funds. To enjoy a comfortable retirement, you must determine both immediate and long-term expenses. Talk with a financial planner to make sure you have a realistic idea about what you’ll need to live the life you want when you’re no longer working.