In today's economic environment, few Americans believe they will achieve their goal of financial independence in their retirement years. You can improve your chances for a successful retirement through ongoing coordination and planning. This should include:

Needs assessment - You should first determine the amount of income you need in retirement and how education funding and other accumulation goals may impact your ability to save enough money. Work with your financial planner to regularly measure your progress to determine whether you'll meet your desired time frame with the assets you require.

Retirement income modeling - Financial modeling tools can help you predict what you may need to prevent outliving your resources in retirement. They can also determine whether you have adequate resources to provide gifts or inheritances to your family without jeopardizing your financial independence.

Benefits analysis - Fringe benefit choices (such as non-qualified benefits, top hat plans, etc.) should be coordinated with your retirement objectives and your overall retirement plan.

Distribution options - An examination of the impact that income and estate taxes may have on your selected distribution alternatives is critical to complete the picture of your retirement resources.

Long-term care - With the potentially catastrophic costs of long-term care, which covers nursing home or other personal care for chronic conditions, you should consider how to avoid the potentially devastating impact a long-term care situation could have on your retirement and estate plan.

There are risks and guidelines associated with each of these strategies, so it is important to work with a financial planner to help you plan for your retirement.