This is a guest post from personal finance writer Gwendolyn Pearce, who has written previously on chicken coops and cooking challenges.

In a recent post, staff writer Lisa Aberle provided an excellent outline of the kind of financial information and preparation you should provide for your loved ones in the event of your incapacitation or death. It’s no fun to prepare this information, which may be why so many people avoid it. But as we’ve discussed, it’s necessary to have a plan to help people navigate your finances during what is sure to be a highly emotional time. But what about highly emotional times that aren’t actually bad?

It’s not very likely that you’ll get hit by a bus or fall into a coma tomorrow, but you know that you need measures in place, just in case. Well, it’s also not very likely that your office pool will win Powerball or that you’ll receive a large, unexpected inheritance, so why would the fact that it’s not likely stop you from being prepared to handle a windfall should one come your way? Do you have a plan in place in the event of a windfall?

Many people are not prepared for the various ways that money could come into their life, whether through the wildly improbable lottery or gambling winnings or slightly-more-practical payouts such as an insurance settlement or profits from selling a home or business. The news is rife with unfortunate stories of lottery winners whose winnings didn’t last very long. In fact, according to the National Endowment for Financial Education, about 70 percent of people who suddenly receive large amounts of money will lose it within a few years.

There is a lot of information out there on what to do with your windfall once you have it, but not too much on how to prepare for a sudden financial gain. Make an outline of information that you can reference in the event of a windfall; a touchstone to reality in the midst of all the emotion and excitement could be a financial lifesaver. Granted, the amount of money that comes to you will probably dictate how far down this list you can go. So, think about making a couple different versions of this list, perhaps “10-50K,” “50-250K,” and “Greater than 250K.”

Window shop for a lawyer and a financial adviser. This step may or may not be necessary if the amount is on the smaller side. If you don’t already have/need one, narrow your choices down to a top three and record their information on a spreadsheet. You may want to go so far as to have a free consultation.

Bank accounts and taxes. Your financial adviser will be able to help you decide where to park your funds and how to plan for your tax obligations.

Debts and obligations. Create a list of all outstanding debts. Remember to update this list every few years as your obligations change.

Splurge. Giving yourself permission to splurge – just a little bit – will feel like a treat without going nuts. What percentage would you splurge? Two to 10 percent seems to be a common suggestion. Set a limit for your future self to have some fun.

Financial goals. Write down your financial goals. Pay off credit cards? Pay off student loans? Pay off mortgage? Fund retirement account? Fund Junior’s college account?

Charity. This includes gifts to friends and family. Who would you help if you could? Making these choices before you come into any extra money could help you identify your priorities. Pay for niece’s college? Pay off parents’ car? Become a donor for a local charity?

Personal goals. Your financial obligations have been met; now, it’s time to use money as a tool to help reach some of your personal goals. What personal goals would this money help you achieve? Would you start that business? Go back to school?

We’ll all pass away one day, but none of us are guaranteed to hit a jackpot with a seven-figure payout. Do you think planning for an unlikely event is worth your time and effort? What additional information would you have ready in order to be prepared for a financial windfall?

GRS is committed to helping our readers save and achieve your financial goals.Savings interest rates may be low, but that’s all the more reason to shop for the best rate.Find the highest savings interest rate from Ally Bank, Capital One 360, Everbank, and more.

This is a post from staff writer Holly Johnson.

This year, our office welcomed a 24-year-old professional into our tight-knit group. Aside from making everyone else in the office feel really, really old, it’s been fun and exciting learning what the younger generation is into these days. Let’s face it — her life is much more exciting than mine. On weekend evenings when I can be found bathing my kids, making meal plans, and doing laundry, she is usually out on the town. While I spend my free time writing and slaving away at our housework, she is planning fun outings or visiting friends from college. She can stay out until 5:00 a.m. and sleep in until noon if she wants to, and she often does. Hearing her recount all of the fun things she’s been doing makes me miss the days when I didn’t have so much responsibility.

My new co-worker is also extremely frugal. She makes practical choices and typically buys all of her business clothes second-hand. A thrifty shopper, she frequently uses coupons and doesn’t try to impress others with material possessions. In fact, she carries a purse that she bought at the Dollar Store for something like $8. I had no idea that the Dollar Store sold purses and that is exactly what I find impressive; she always finds new and interesting ways to save without sacrificing style or function. To top it off, she is allocating all of her extra money toward repayment of her student loans. I love hearing updates and cheering her on as she aggressively kills off her debt. If only I could’ve been more like her at her age, I would’ve been much better off.

Projecting my insecurities

Despite her obvious competency, I still have to stop myself from giving her unsolicited advice. It’s not that I think she needs it. On the contrary, I know that she’s making great decisions compared to many of her peers. But despite her ability to manage her finances quite well, I want to prevent her from making all of the tragic mistakes that I once made. I can’t help but project onto her wishes for my former self when I was 24 years old. If only I had someone around to smack some sense into me, maybe it would’t have taken me nearly as long to get my financial act together. There are so many things I should’ve done differently.

Can you imagine what it would be like to start adulthood over with a clean slate? Since my friend is so financially aware for her age, she has the opportunity to avoid many of the pitfalls and traps that young people entering the job market often fall into. Unfortunately, my twenty-something former self is a perfect example of “what not do do.” There is a plethora of advice I desperately needed in my 20′s, and watching her make all of the right decisions has forced me to come to term with my own mistakes. This got me thinking, “What would I tell your former self, if I had the chance?”

Start saving for retirement immediately. Due to the magic of compound interest, it’s beneficial for young people to start saving for retirement as soon as possible. I wish I would’ve started saving immediately so that I wouldn’t have to work so hard now to catch up.

Avoid debt like the plague. It’s tempting to buy designer clothes or a fancy car when you first start out. When I was her age, I definitely tried to impress others with material possessions I couldn’t afford. In my early twenties, I ran up my credit cards too many times to count. Unfortunately, I punished myself this way many times before I matured enough to stop. I wish I would’ve lived within my means and spared myself the enormous burden of debt in the first place.

You don’t need a new car. When I was 23, I financed a $25,000 car that I definitely couldn’t afford. While getting a new car proved to be fun and exciting, the payment that came with it became a huge burden. I wish I would’ve forgone the new car and kept the one I already had.

Live cheaply while you can. Saving as much money as possible before getting married or having children is an ideal way to start off adulthood. Creating your own safety net provides stability and creates peace of mind. I wish I would’ve lived cheaply while I had the chance. Now that I have a family, I have to work that much harder to save.

Your friends are probably broke. I remember seeing what my friends owned in my early twenties and being really confused. Did they really have that much more money than I did? The reality is that easily available credit makes it nearly effortless to enjoy a lifestyle you can’t afford. Now that I’m older and wiser, I realize that the majority of people I know are making payments on most of their stuff. Knowing that fact in my twenties would’ve explained a lot!

It’s stressful knowing that I wasted so many years before getting serious about saving and investing. On the other hand, always looking backward can be counterproductive. Each day presents a new opportunity to make better choices, and I’m proud to be on the path to financial freedom. It’s certainly better late than never. And, who knows? If I would’ve made better choices, my life might be completely different. The thought of a different life is terrifying, and I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to learn so many things firsthand. I’m glad for each lesson, even if I had to learn them the hard way.

The fact is, my co-worker is a smart and sophisticated young lady. She gets to start her adult life with a clean slate, but not everyone has that opportunity. Still, all is not lost. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s never too late to get your financial life in order. After all, mistakes are only insurmountable if you insist on repeating them. I’ve made my share, and I’ve moved on. And I know that at this moment, I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

What would you tell your former self, if you had the chance?

GRS is committed to helping our readers save and achieve your financial goals.Savings interest rates may be low, but that’s all the more reason to shop for the best rate.Find the highest savings interest rate from Ally Bank, Capital One 360, Everbank, and more.

This is a post from staff writer Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the adviser for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. Like many important entities – including Weird Al, the Empire State Building, and CombustionSafety.com — he’s on Twitter.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the “Tyranny of the 401(k) Industry Complex.” The post was a commentary on an episode of PBS’s “Frontline,” which argued that the current defined-contribution retirement system is failing the country; financial-services companies make money while working Americans don’t, partially because these workers are getting ripped off, but also because the average American doesn’t have the time, skills, or inclination to manage their own retirement planning.

There was a good amount of debate in the comments section about whether retirement planning is all that difficult. I can see both sides, but in this post, I want to make it as simple as possible. If you follow this advice, you’ll be taking some big steps in the right direction. It’s not a perfect plan for each individual — feel free to add your own tips below — but it’s a solid strategy for those who have been frozen by “analysis paralysis” and have put off saving for retirement out of fear of making big mistakes.

Step 1: Save at least 10 percent to 15 percent of income, more if you’re starting late

The typical American is saving around 7 percent or 8 percent; that won’t be enough, especially for those who didn’t begin saving in their 20s. To help workers determine a good savings rate, the super-smart folks at Morningstar’s Ibbotson Associates came up with some good guidelines. Their assumptions:

• Retire at 65
• No cuts in Social Security benefits (Yes, it’s very possible that benefits will be cut, but most people should also retire later than age 65.)
• Inflation at 2.5 percent
• Income needed in retirement is 80 percent of pre-retirement income after retirement savings (e.g., if your household income is $100,000 a year, and you save $10,000 a year, your required retirement income is 80 percent of $90,000, or $72,000)

It’s an 11-page document full of fun (or not) charts, but since we’re trying to keep this simple, here’s a sample:

Here’s an example of how to use this: A 35-year-old who has already accumulated $50,000 would subtract 2.85 percent (5 x 0.57 percent) from 17.6 percent, resulting in a savings rate of 14.75 percent.

Keep in mind that your savings rate includes an employer match to your 401(k) contributions, if you’re lucky enough to have one. So if your employer matches 50 cents on the dollar up to a contribution rate of 6 percent, and you contribute 10 percent of your salary to your retirement plan, your actual savings rate is 13 percent.

All that said, if even looking at that chart makes you want to run away to Facebook, just do this for now: Save 10 percent to 15 percent of your salary if you’re in your 20s or early 30s, and bump it up five percentage points for every five years you delay saving. Yes, that might be more saving than you’re capable of. I’ll address that in my next post.

Step 2: Choose the traditional 401(k), then the Roth IRA

Another speed bump along the road to retirement savings is the decision between a traditional and Roth account. The easy solution: Choose both. Use the 401(k) up until you take full advantage of the match, then use a Roth IRA for the rest. Two benefits: You’re getting “tax diversification” by having both types of accounts, and you’re not putting all your eggs in the 401(k) basket. The latter benefit is partially what that “Frontline” episode discussed. The sad truth is, many employer-sponsored retirement accounts stink. But opening an IRA with a mutual fund company or discount broker gives you more choices at better prices.

Of course, choosing an IRA provider and opening the account is itself a speed bump. So start immediately contributing to your 401(k), then resolve to do the Roth IRA thing later. But if you know you won’t do it (self-awareness is a virtue!) then just get it all in the 401(k) — especially if you earn too much to contribute to a Roth IRA. (For 2013, the eligibility to make contributions phases out for single taxpayers with a modified adjusted gross income of $112,000 to $127,000, and 178,000 to $188,000 for married couples.)

Step 3: Choose a target retirement fund

Once you get your money into the account, you have to decide how to invest it. The easy answer: a target retirement mutual fund, which invests your money with a general retirement date in mind. The name of the fund always includes a year, and you choose the fund with the year closest to when you think you’ll retire. Based on that time horizon, the fund manager chooses an appropriate asset allocation — some U.S. stocks, some international stocks, some bonds, some cash — and then rebalances the portfolio for you, making the fund more conservative as the target date approaches. It’s essentially a one-stop-shop for hands-off investors.

While investing in just one fund may sound too risky, a target date fund is actually a “fund of funds” – i.e., a mutual fund that owns many other funds. Let’s look at an example. Consider the T. Rowe Price 2040 fund, a fine choice for people who aim to retire in 25 to 30 years. It owns the following funds (according to Morningstar):

Given that the year 2040 is a few decades away, this target retirement fund is mostly invested in stocks. As 2040 gets closer, the fund will gradually move from stocks to bonds all on its own. You don’t have to do anything.

Now, two caveats about target retirement funds:

1. Like all investments, they’ll drop in value. The T. Rowe Price 2040 fund dropped 38.9 percent in 2008, when the S&P 500 dropped 37.0 percent.
2. Investing in a target retirement fund doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to retire on the target date. You still have to make sure you’re saving enough.

Step 4: As you get closer to retirement, monitor progress

Once you reach your 40s — and certainly your 50s, and definitely right before you retire — you need to do some number-crunching to make sure you’re on track.

You can use an online retirement calculator, and fiddle with the variables to see what has the biggest impact on your chances of success. You can also hire a financial planner who charges by the hour (such as some of the folks at the Garrett Planning Network and NAPFA) to give you an objective, professional analysis.

A fine start, but…

Voltaire is credited with the quote “perfect is the enemy of good.” Don’t put off saving for retirement until you know everything and feel that your plan will be perfect. After all, “perfect” retirement plan doesn’t exist, partially because there are too many variables that you don’t have control over (e.g., investment returns, inflation, the future of Social Security). But you can increase your chances of success. The advice in this post will get you going in the right direction. Put these wheels in motion, then take time to learn more and customize the plan for your situation. Maybe you need to save more or less. Maybe you can do better than a target retirement fund. Maybe you should have all your money in a Roth. The good news is, none of this is set in stone. Just start doing something now, and change later as you learn more.

This post is from staff writer April Dykman.

I recently got sick for the first time in almost a decade, and was bed/couch-ridden for a good four days.

Since I had some time on my hands, I was able to watch a few documentaries on my Netflix queue. One of those was The Queen of Versailles, a film that will make your jaw drop like an episode of Hoarders. It’s hard to believe people really live like that.

El Nerdo also did a review of this documentary, and he does a great job of explaining the film. If you aren’t familiar with the film, The Queen of Versailles depicts Jackie and David Siegel, owners of Westgate Resorts, as they build the largest and most expensive single-family house in the U.S. The Florida mansion was modeled after France’s 17th century Palace of Versailles and is a staggering 90,000 square feet. What does one do with 90,000 square feet? The plans include 30 bedrooms, 23 bathrooms, a 30-car garage and amenities like a roller rink, baseball field, children’s theater, and bowling alley.

When the film starts, construction on the mega-mansion is well underway, but then the economy tanks. The business is in trouble, and David Siegel admits that they have no real personal savings to speak of.

There are a lot of great money lessons in the film, even for those of us who live in houses the size of Jackie’s closet. But what struck me the most was Jackie’s position in all of this: she had no idea where they stood financially.

One spouse is in the dark

“We don’t talk about financial problems,” Jackie says in the film. “I guess I’ll have to watch the movie to find out what’s going on in my life.”

Okay, sure. Jackie is a trophy wife who is 30 years David’s junior, and she’s depicted as a mostly-clueless shopaholic. But before she was a pageant queen and a model, she earned an engineering degree and worked at IBM.

Yet she has no idea where she stands financially.

That makes her position even more precarious than David’s. His decisions affect the entire family, yet she’s unaware of what those decisions are. For instance, in one scene, David yells at the whole family because someone left a light on, angry that their carelessness would run up the electricity bill. Yet he then takes out a loan to hang onto the unfinished mansion they could no longer afford. Meanwhile Jackie has no idea if they’re actually selling the home or not.

Also, what happens to Jackie if something happens to him? He’s 30 years older than her, if he were to become incapacitated or worse, she wouldn’t have a clue how to take over the family finances.

So why would someone who is obviously capable of understanding their finances remain in the dark?

There are probably a lot of reasons why it happens. David was a wealthy businessman when he met Jackie, who was a model. In their relationship, he took care of everything, and they aren’t exactly equals or partners in their marriage.

But more commonly, since the Siegels are anything but common, I suspect that it happens unintentionally. One person is better at dealing with numbers or likes handling the money, so they wind up paying the bills and checking the credit statements and the other person falls out of touch with how much is saved where.

Get on the same page

If you’re reading Get Rich Slowly, I think it’s safe to assume that you have an interest in your finances. But what if your partner doesn’t? Or what if life has gotten in the way, and they just aren’t up-to-speed anymore?

Even if you’re the one balancing the checkbook, your partner needs to know the basics about what accounts you each have and what’s in them. It allows you to work as a team and ensures that, if it’s ever necessary, your partner can take over the family finances.

But don’t bust out the spreadsheets just yet. There’s a right way and a wrong way to get them involved.

How to get your partner up-to-speed

To learn more about how to involve your partner in the money decisions, I spoke with Jacquette Timmons, the author of Financial Intimacy.

Here’s her 5-step plan to get your partner on the same page.

1. Ease them into it. If your partner is totally in the dark, let them spend three months just looking at account statements, says Timmons. “They could see a pattern of expenses they weren’t aware of, like automatic deductions for services they don’t use or incorrect charges on the credit card,” she says. “At first, just let them look and start to ask questions.”

2. Be open to questions. Encourage them to ask questions, and ”don’t take it as questioning your knowledge or skills,” says Timmons.

3. Get some context. Take the time to understand each of your money backgrounds, advises Timmons. “We all come to the table with our own little money stories,” she says. “Try to understand your differences and how to integrate different financial philosophies.” For instance, one of her clients assumed he and his wife would have separate finances because that’s how his parents handled their money. This was a foreign idea to his wife, whose parents shared everything. “To compromise, they created yours, mine, and ours accounts,” says Timmons.

4. Share info the way they learn best. There’s more than one learning style, so make sure you present information the way your partner learns best, says Timmons. For instance, one man asked Timmons how he could get his wife involved in their finances. “I asked, ‘how does she take in information?’” says Timmons. “He was going to her with Excel spreadsheets, but it turned out that she’s more visual. So I told him to turn those spreadsheets into a Powerpoint presentation, or something more visually appealing.”

5. Schedule a money date. Make a weekly appointment for a 30-minute money date. “The purpose is to handle some aspect of your finances together,” says Timmons, “but don’t go more than that 30 minutes.”

And try to make it fun! A money date doesn’t exactly sound like a great time, but “it doesn’t have to be a dreaded experience,” says Timmons. “Schedule money dates when you aren’t stressed, like Sunday night or some other downtime,” she says. “And build reward system for when you keep the date. Give yourselves a treat.”

That’s some practical advice. But getting back to la-la land, where at the Siegels at today?

David Siegel filed a lawsuit over the film for defamation, claiming that it damaged the reputation of his company. Jackie, who is considering a reality show, still promotes the film, saying that she and her husband “simply don’t discuss the lawsuit.”

Construction has resumed on their mansion.

Judging a film by its DVD cover, I assumed The Queen of Versailles would be a vapid Real Housewives-style production. But it actually delves into the serious issues of their rags-to-riches, “American Dream”-on-steroids lifestyle.

It also made me incredibly thankful for my marriage and our 1,500-square-foot home.

About the interviewee: Jacquette Timmons is the founder of Sterling Investment Management, Inc., a financial coaching firm. You can follow her on Twitter at @jacqmtimmons.