When it comes to saving and investing for retirement, there may be a quiet battle of the sexes going on in many households.

What really happened to Cinderella after she married Prince Charming? Did she live happily ever after?

My father is a big fan of the K.I.S.S. principle (“Keep it simple, sweetie.” What? Your father calls it something else?).

Many people can’t wait for retirement. They have visions of playing golf, fly-fishing, reading, volunteering, spending hours with their grandchildren, and engaging in all manner of activities they never had time to do before. But several questions often weigh heavily: Do I have enough money tucked away to make my retirement vision a reality? Or will I end up barely scraping by? Can I afford to continue to live in my current home? Or should I downsize or move to a cheaper area of the country?

Saving and investing for retirement is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to plan for it, work at it and, if possible, get help from investment professionals.

In this issue, we explore options for financing a second home, take a look at long-term care costs and the tradeoffs of long-term care insurance, and offer our thoughts on prudent retirement portfolio withdrawal rates.

In this issue, we address reader questions about why (or why not) to pay off your mortgage before retirement, tax treatment of annuities for beneficiaries, and the long-term effects of recent economic weakness in China.

In this issue, we tackle questions from readers looking for higher yields on their cash holdings, insight into the impact of a strong dollar on investment portfolios, and tips to help prevent identity theft.