In between the happiness of Christmas and the promise of the New
Year, permit me to introduce a sour note, a hint of a scold.  If
you're like, well, almost everybody, you're not saving enough.
 15% of each paycheck into the 401(k) is the bare minimum you
can get away with, not some aspirational level you can maybe
hope to hit someday when you don't have all these problems.    I
mean, obviously if one out of two workers in your household just
lost their job, or has been stricken with some horrid cancer
requiring all sorts of ancillary expenses, then it's okay to cut
back on the retirement savings for a bit. But let's be honest:
that doesn't describe most of us in those years when we don't
save enough.  What describes most of those years when we aren't
saving is normal life.  We moved.  We got married or had kids.
 The kids required entirely expected things like food, clothes,
and schooling.  Work was hard and we felt we wanted a really
nice vacation.  Friends and family went through the same normal
life stages