Stephan:   Recently I have had several readers write me to tell me that they have been trying to retire but that the 401(k) path they followed has proven to be a disaster. I never believed 401(k)s were what they were represented to be, and did not go that route so I have no direct experience. To teach myself I went looking, and came away with the conclusion that, like all privatization schemes advanced by corporate interests -- prisons, schools -- this scheme is a sham. A construct sold by media and government to enrich financial interests through fees that suck money out of the middle class. Yesterday I found this report which, I think, hits all the major tropes correctly. One can only wonder what might have been if social security had been strengthened. Far cheaper to be sure.