August 12, 2009 
Does your retirement plan take inflation into account? Since Vietnam, inflation has averaged 4.6% per year. This may not sound like much, but since 1969 the purchasing power of a dollar has dropped by more than eighty percent.
Moreover, an interesting strand of economic research suggests that a retirement planner should also take into account "keeping up with the Joneses" - that is, spending even more in retirement to keep improving your lifestyle along with everyone else. The historical rate of inflation, alone, understates the challenge investors face in funding a comfortable retirement.
If you're interested in a technical article that explains the details for you, read on...
