June 14--When we're 25, retirement planning seems almost unimaginable and certainly daunting. Throughout our lives, we change and evolve so much that it can be difficult to envision who we will be and what we will want 40 years in the future.

Apparently, though, planning for retirement can be just as daunting at age 55, and perhaps even more so.

The oldest of the baby boom generation is reaching retirement age, and yet as many as 36 percent have not contributed to a retirement program of any kind. Those boomers who have chipped in to a retirement fund may be reeling from the Great Recession and its effect on the markets.

Van Buren financial adviser Brad Lewis says clients who come to him often "have done some thinking and preparation, but not nearly enough" planning for retirement.

"They may think about it when they turn 50," Lewis said in a Sunday Times Record report about retirement challenges. "They don't call me until they are 55, and they want to retire at 65. It's not that they hadn't thought about it; they just did not do something about it."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 15 percent of people over traditional retirement age of 65 were still working in 2006; 5.5 percent of Americans older than 75 were still working.

Ideally for many, retirement would be a time to enjoy life -- to spend time gardening, fishing, golfing, traveling or enjoying whatever hobby; to spend time with family and loved ones; to volunteer and be involved in one's community; to start a different career; to be or do whatever one wants. In today's society, retirement is not viewed as "the end" of something, but rather the beginning to another phase of life.

Whether retirement is 40, 20, 10 or two years away, it requires more than just some passing thoughts or conversations; it can be complicated and intimidating but requires serious thoughts and action.

"A sizable group of the population has not even thought about retirement, so there are a lot of people that are approaching retirement without any preparation for it," Annamaria Lusardi, economics professor at the George Washington University School of Business, told MSNBC in April. "Even for the baby boom generation, I think there are worries about a good fraction of them potentially not experiencing a good retirement."

Even with careful planning, readjustments as the economy changes or unexpected life events occur are likely necessary, but being proactive in your financial planning can only be a benefit to you and your family. Take this as a reminder to reassess your retirement goals as you work toward them (and so will we).

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