My last poll, How much do you need to retire?, proved very popular, with several hundred of you taking the time to answer the question above. Thank you!

Today, I'm throwing another question out to you.

Ready?

When do you think you'll retire?

For this poll, "retire" means stop working at a full-time job and either cease to work completely or work only to keep busy. In other words, "retirement" in this poll means that you are financially free.

(If you've already reached that point, tell us when you did.)

P.S. Seems like the definition of "retirement" could be another interesting poll, no?

For the most part, you must have earned income to contribute to either a regular or a Roth IRA. Earned income does not include income from interest, dividends, or capital gains. In other words, you have to go to work.

But there's a big giant exception: spousal IRAs.

Even if you don't earn any income in a given year, you might still be able to contribute to an IRA if you're married and your spouse works. Check out the answers to several frequently asked questions about Spousal IRAs.

Wake up: it's December!  Just a month to go until 2010.  While there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the new year, retirement planners are probably most looking forward to a highly anticipated rules change in the Roth IRA conversion market (quite an exciting crowd, indeed).  Specifically, the removal of the conversion restriction is getting the group downright giddy.

Since the Roth IRA was created back in 1998, the ability for upper income taxpayers to participate has been extremely limited.  However, come January 1, any taxpayer may choose to convert his or her regular IRA or 401(k) into a Roth IRA.  The previous $100,000 income cap will disappear.  There's even more good news: you can spread the taxes due on conversion out over two years.  Learn about 2010 Roth IRA conversions.

Today is Green Friday, a day aptly named for one of the most profitable days of the year for retailers. After sitting around watching football and eating turkey yesterday, many Americans celebrate day two of the potential four-day weekend by waking up before dawn to take advantage of some fairly compelling sales.

My take: it you need the item, don't need the sleep, can save a ton of money, have a nice time. If you don't meet all three requirements, press the snooze button and increase your retirement savings.

This post when live at a quarter to five in the morning. What were you doing at that hour?