I always have mixed emotions when it comes time to dig into ourannual research on employee financial issues. On the one hand,there's excitement in knowing whatever we uncover helps employersdetermine their employees' most pressing financial concerns;however, we sometimes find facts that make me uneasy. In 2010, wewere pleasantly surprised to see employees making significantimprovements in their financial situations -- even more than we hadanticipated. They were planning for their future and focused onworking toward their personal recoveries, proving to be the shininglight of the economic recovery as a whole.

In 2010, employees were:

• Focused on long-term planning issues.Long-term planning calls made up 55 percent of all calls to ourfinancial helpline.
• No longer in crisis management mode. Callsabout cash management fell from 17 percent to 14 percent.
• Working toward recovery. Users of ourFinancial Learning Center improved in all areas of theirfinances.

Though we were encouraged by employees' improvements in planningfor their future, our research reveals a shocking yet sadlyunsurprising truth: When it comes to being prepared for retirement, 83 percent of employees have no ideaif they are on track. Even with their new commitment to improvingtheir finances, employees won't be able to avoid a retirement crisis that will affect just about everyone inAmerica unless they make sustainable changes at an acceleratedpace.

For plan providers, this is a scary reminder that most of theemployee population is not saving enough in their plans to secure their retirement. What'sworse is the problem could be solved largely in part by educatingemployees about their benefits and how to use them to meet theirfinancial goals.

From an employer's perspective, the cost of a retirement crisiscould be devastating. Studies have found for every one employee whohas to work longer because he or she cannot afford to retire, itcan cost the employer anywhere between $10,000 and $50,000 peradditional year worked.

Whether a retirement crisis hits fully depends on how employeesplan now and how well they manage their finances from here on. Withso much at stake, this is the beginning of an important change tofinancial management in our society.