Absolutely invest in retirement. You can always get a loan to get kids through school. I do not know of any loans to get you through retirement. The markets are seriously low from where they were (even though they've gone up 30 percent recently). Now is the time to be dollar cost averaging; the more money you put in, the more shares you buy. Save for your retirement, people.

To enjoy a long, comfortable retirement, save more today.

The key to making money is to stay invested.

Never invest emergency savings in the stock market.

The way to build your savings is by spending less each month.

Your goal should be to pay off your credit card bills in full at the end of each month and set aside money toward your emergency savings.

You have to see every potential roadblock as an opportunity and a benefit.