5 Things You Need to Know Before You Retire

As a professor at The American College of Financial Services and the co-creator of the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP速) program, I'm often making lists of what I think everyone needs to know about planning for retirement. And, on a personal level, as someone who is approaching retirement myself, those lessons are really hitting home.

So, here is my current list of what I'd like to shout from the mountaintops -- the five things you must know before you retire.

1. Knowledge Is Gold

Making smarter retirement decisions means more retirement security. Research from Morningstar found that informed (versus na誰ve) decisions in just six different areas of retirement