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.

Like many other retirement planning numbers, the 2010 limits for IRA contributions will be unchanged from 2009. Still, opportunities exist, including the higher contribution limit for those 50 or older and spousal IRAs. Because of their tax advantages, IRAs and Roth IRAs represent some of the best opportunities for you to become financially comfortable in retirement. Learn more about the 2010 IRA contribution limits.

Although the formula which determines how much the 401k contribution changes each year would have led to a $500 decrease in the permissible 401k savings level, the IRS has decided to permit the limit to remain unchanged. Largely to help companies and service providers from various software modifications, the limits will be the same as 2009's limit.

Read more about your 2010 401k contribution limits, including the catch-up provisions.

As was recently reported, Half of workers changing jobs cash out 401k when they terminate employment. Among workers in their twenties, 60% distribute the entire balance, according to the Hewitt Associates study. Short of needing money for basic essentials like food and shelter, taking money from your retirement plan is not a good idea. Not only do you lose the benefit of the likely significant growth over the rest of your working career, but you also forgo the tax-advantaged nature of that growth. Furthermore, because of the significant taxes due upon the 401(k) distribution plus the likely penalty for early withdrawal, you'll wind up with a check much smaller than the amount of money you remove from your plan. A far better option is a rollover IRA, where your money can grow for many years in the future. There are many benefits to an IRA rollover. In this case, just because most people are doing it (taking the money), really means you shouldn't.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently unveiled a new guide for retirement planning oriented at the small business community. This robust web site features information on various self-employment plans including 401(k) plans, SEP-IRAs, and SIMPLE-IRAs. Loaded with links, the web site, called IRS Retirement Plans Navigator, is a great place for additional details for those in charge of assisting small business owners with their own retirement planning as well as those of their employees.

Although 2009 is about to wind to its inevitable conclusion, you might still be able to get your money's worth from your corporate retirement plan account, like a 401(k) plan. Almost all employer-based retirement plans that featuring matching provisions calculate their maximum employer match based on a per-calendar year period. Therefore, even if you had previously neglected to take full advantage throughout 2009, by aggressively contributing to your 401(k) plan between now and the end of December you may be able to receive as much of that "free money" as you would have had you been contributing all year long!

However, once January 2010 rolls around, 2009 is gone and the money you forfeited can never again be realized. So if you've been procrastinating saving for retirement, you've only got a few weeks left to save - and potentially make up for the whole year.

Maximize your employer 401(k) matching program today.

I recently attended a conference in New York City featuring some leading financial services technology providers. For my retirement planning audience here at About.com, one seemed immediately worth sharing: Brightscope.

Free for consumers like you to use, Brightscope allows for a "Morningstar-like" visibility into your corporate retirement plan. While not every plan has been analyzed, the database is already quite extensive and continues to grow. Use the database it to compare your current employer's plan to an old plan or even, one day, to a potential new employer's plan.

Information is power and Brighscope is doing a great deal of work to increase transparency in your fund options and fees. Given that you often have very little say as to what you are offered, this is an important initiative.

Remember, you are the eventual retiree to whom the burden of retirement has, in a not so subtle way, been shifted. Take a few minutes to look at Brightscope and share your thoughts and/or recommendations.

Due to falling consumer prices, the government recently announced there will be no cost of living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security recipients for the 2010 year.  Since automatic increases were put on the books in the mid-seventies, this is the first time there will not be an automatic year-over-year increase in the checks millions of retirees receive every month.  (For the year 2009, benefits checks increased by approximately 5.8% - the largest increase in nearly 30 years.)

The primary reason for the lack of a 2010 increase is that consumer prices have declined 2.1% since the third quarter of 2008. (Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment, by law, is based on the change in consumer prices from the third quarter of one year to the next.)

You may have heard that there is growing political enthusiasm now for a one-time $250 payment to Social Security recipients to help them deal with the lack of an increased Social Security payment. So, I'm curious, what do you think about the lack of a cola? Furthermore, what do you think about the one-time payment?  There's a section below for open-ended comments and a poll to participate in. I look forward to our lively discussion.