Most of my friends range from their late 30s to late 40s, which means retirement isn't a near-term thing, but it's also not so far off. In fact, it's a good time to start seriously planning for a post-career existence by coming up with goals, boosting savings, and figuring out how Social Security fits into the mix.

I've had a number of friends tell me that they're not expecting to get a dime in benefits from Social Security, and, as such, are forcing themselves to save for retirement independently. Now a big part of me doesn't want to tell them the truth about Social Security's future because I want them to stay motivated to keep funding their IRAs and 401(k)s. But I'd be remiss if I didn't share what's really going on with the program.

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Source Fool.com