Special Report:

The second half of your life is full of opportunity. Your total net worth is probably a good deal higher than it was 20 or even 10 years ago. If you're still working, you're probably earning more than you've ever earned. And once you reach your early to mid-60s, the government will start sending you checks, instead of just the other way around.

Having all these resources means you have more and more options. Explore these options in detail in a 30-day free trial of our newsletter service, Motley Fool Rule Your Retirement.

When it comes to retirement, your resources are usually in the form of the proverbial three-legged stool: Social Security, traditional pensions (i.e., defined-benefit plans), and savings. As for the first two, you can manage those benefits in a way that optimizes their payouts -- a topic we'll discuss often in Rule Your Retirement. 

However, such issues as the sustainability of Social Security and whether your company is paying enough into your pension are out of your control. The "leg" that will really determine your lifestyle for the rest of your life -- and the one over which you have the most control -- is your savings.

Late last year, the Employee Benefit Research Institute released a report titled "Can America Afford Tomorrow's Retirees?" The study concluded what we all know: Most Americans aren't saving enough for retirement. Specifically, the report estimated that retirees as a group will come up $400 billion short of the necessary income for the decade ending 2030. Gloomy news, to be sure.

But the study also concluded that a great many Americans could improve their chances of meeting their retirement income needs just by saving an additional 5% to 10% a year. For example, for middle- to upper-income households led by couples born in the years 1941-1945, saving an additional 9% a year would lead to a 90% chance that all expenses will be covered in retirement. Couples born between 1946 and 1950, who have more time to invest, need to save just an additional 5%.

Of course, these are estimates based on national averages. You may need to save more or less -- or not at all. But now is the time to find out, and do something about it. One way to assess your future is by working on the Roadmap to Retirement How-To Guide in the Tools section of the Rule Your Retirement website -- part of your free trial. The eight-lesson online seminar will take you step-by-step through the process of analyzing your current retirement plan, and determining what you need to do now to get where you want to go.

You CAN rule your retirement. You can determine how you'll spend the rest of your life. And we're going to help. Let's start by looking at eight ways you can supercharge your retirement. For even more ways, try Rule Your Retirement FREE for 30 days.