Casual Friday: Face Retirement

Merrill Edge is helping you Face Retirement. They are convinced that we don't save enough for retirement because we just can't picture ourselves living into our 70s and 80s. By showing you what you will look like in the future they hope to convince you to save for retirement. All I have to say is that it worked. I now believe I should save more - for plastic surgery. If the age progression is correct, I might need a little nip and tuck at 67. Beyond scaring (and possibly scarring) you with a glimpse into your future, the site also provides some cost of living data. See how much a loaf of bread will cost, a gallon gas, or a movie ticket. It is all enough to make you realize that tomorrow will be here before you know it, and it will cost you a lot more to live the same lifestyle.

If you are brave enough it just takes a minute to find out what you'll like 20, 30, 40 years from now. The program uses your webcam to take your picture and begin the aging process. Bonus, you can share right to Facebook if you are so inclined.

So if you are ready to start saving more, find out exactly how much you need using the bizologie favorite tools: retirement planning post.

What If It Were My Home?

Ever wonder what your life would be like if you lived in France? Or Japan? Or Senegal? Then it's time to check out IfItWereMyHome.com.  Using data from sources like the CIA World Factbook and the World Health Organization, IfItWereMyHome shows you how living in the US compares with other countries. From the home page, I simply click on the country I want to compare and I can find out things like:

• If I lived in Australia, I'd live 3.48 years longer and spend 53.58% less on healthcare.
• If I lived in Portugal, I'd use 63.6% less electricity and make 53.02% less money.
• If I lived in Brazil, I'd make 78.02% less money and die 5.98 years sooner.

You can compare any two countries and find out all sorts of information on healthcare, employment, life expectancy, energy usage, class divide and family size. Each comparison also shows a map overlay so that you can see how much bigger or smaller that country is than your own.

Now when you're wondering if you should retire to someplace warmer, you can make sure that you're living longer and spending less on electricity when you get there!