If you're going to see any relatives over 70 1/2 this week (for example, at a family gathering tomorrow), you can remind them there are no required minimum distributions necessary for 2009. Ordinarily, folks over 70 1/2 must begin taking money out of their qualified retirement plans, such as their IRAs or 401(k)s. Furthermore, they must continue doing so each year. However, due to the stock market free-fall of late 2008 and early 2009, Congress passed a one-year exemption from the requirement so that the elderly wouldn't have to sell their shares while prices were down.

In 2010, required minimum distributions come back, so this appears to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for those not needing the money, to keep it in their retirement accounts, tax-deferred, just a little longer.

Next week is Thanksgiving and I'm already looking out for you. After discussing the weather, the kids, your boss, and the weather again, you're going to need something to talk about with those people (technically, family) while the turkey is still not ready.

Why not bring up the question of how much money you need to retire? It should start a pretty good conversation. Answer here first, then note the different opinions:

I just finished a fascinating read, titled Retirement Brings Most a Big Health Boost. Recent research found that 98% of retirees polled in Europe reported greater health in the years following retirement than in their final working days.

The degree to which this surprises you, I suspect, is based primarily on your current perception of your health and your personal job satisfaction. Still, what are the takeaways?

If you're about to retire and complaining about health, good news appears around the corner. On the other hand, make sure you do what you can so that you can reach that finish line as soon as you'd like.

If you're already retired, be sure to take advantage of any increase in available time by picking up or continuing those important healthy habits. Your younger years are your most active and most healthy - generally true in life and probably true of a retirement, particularly an extended one.

With the recent realization that the national unemployment rate is now over 10%, the importance of financial planning may never have been higher. While an optimist could point out that nearly 90% of the workforce is employed, his friend could note the many people who have stopped looking for work or are considerably underemployed. Critically, both of those groups are not counted in the unemployment statistics.

Still, I think there's a retirement planning lesson here: each individuals unemployment rate is either 0% or 100%. If yours is 100% (i.e., you're currently unemployed), you're very grateful if you saved previously. If you're currently employed with a decent job, count your blessings and be sure you're taking care of you and your family's future by saving today.