Retirement calculators can help you prepare for the future

0 Comments | USA TODAY, June, 2006 | by Christine Dugas

Retirement may or may not be a long way off, but it never hurts to find out if you're on the right track. Even if you'd rather not pay a financial planner, there are free online retirement calculators that can help you check out your progress.

Before you settle on any one calculator, though, you'll want to make sure you pick a good one.

To help you get started, USA TODAY called on Sheryl Garrett, founder of Garrett Planning Network (www.garrettplanningnetwork.com), a group of fee-only financial planners who provide advice for an hourly rate. Asked to try out several retirement calculators and evaluate the results, Garrett applied a fictitious married couple (see chart) to four calculators.

Some calculators ask you to include your Social Security benefits in...