Face it. The world of work hasn’t been a very pleasant one these past seven or eight years.

The country has yet to fully recover from the market debacle of 2007-2009, and the economy just can’t seem to ignite itself.

We continue to see layoffs from major companies and employees have every right to live with the constant worry of “Am I next?”

But this is the time of year when Ebenezer Scrooge ultimately yields and surprises Bob Crachit with a Christmas turkey.

And while we can’t promise the Ebenezer economy will shower us with such luscious holiday gifts, all of us are in a position to help others, and maybe that’s what it’s really all about.

Or maybe, that’s the worst thing we can do.

One of the dreams of nearly every good little boy and girl is to retire in comfort. There are many “gifts” we can share with retirement savers to better prepare them for retirement readiness (see “9 Gifts To Best Prepare Employees for Retirement Readiness,” FiduciaryNews.com, December 8, 2015).

I’d like to propose this one in words a certain jolly old elf might find appealing: Let’s help keep employees off the retirement readiness naughty list.

Read: 10 states worst prepared for retirement

Specifically, I’m talking about focusing on self-confidence, self-reliance, and, ultimately, self-determination.

No, this isn’t an examination of the ego.

Rather, it is a present we can wrap for employees that will help them in ways far beyond retirement readiness.

In fact, it may have more weight on living a comfortable retirement than one more normally consider.

These three “selfs” embody a discipline that can guide one’s entire life, from their personal desires to their career aspirations to their retirement dreams.

In the area of retirement plan education, we’ve seen a dramatic movement away from the mathematics of finance and investment towards an emphasis on behavior and personal wellness (in all areas).

In others, we’ve moved from the quantitative to the qualitative, from the empirical to the spiritual. In the worst case, practitioners merely speak of the “touchy-feely” nature of things. This isn’t what I’m referring to.

I’m speaking of the need to motivate and empower retirement plan beneficiaries in all aspects of their lives. For the moment, however, let’s focus solely on retirement readiness.

There’s been a trend in the media and in certain public policy circles to demean people when it comes to saving for retirement.

Nobody likes to be made fun of. Nobody wants to hear they’re not good enough. Nobody purposely seeks to lose hope.

And, yet, this is precisely what the mantra of “retirement crisis” implies and leads to.

People like to be congratulated. People want to be recognized. People purposely seek assurance.

We will soon, if we haven’t already, enter the annual review cycle. It will be too easy to find fault in people’s financial habits.

If we fall into this trap, we are no better than those talking heads who say Americans aren’t disciplined enough to take care of themselves.

So make a promise to yourself to try hard, try especially hard, to be positive.

Set aside the numbers and the tables and make your objective this simple: After I talk to that retirement saver, I want them to leave with renewed self-confidence, with a powerful sense of self-reliance, and with a steely self-determination that only they stand between today and a comfortable retirement. The rest will take care of itself.

In the spirit of the giving season, doesn’t it make sense to give retirement savers what they truly need?

Instant Insights /

Help keep employees off the retirement readiness naughty list

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