And what of the Future?

CNN tells us that we're not saving enough money.

(CNN) -- The national savings rate for Americans is at its lowest point since the Great Depression, yet 78 million Americans will retire in the next 20 years.

These statistics cast doubt on the ability of Americans to plan for the long term and whether Americans consider long-term planning important, experts say.

The savings rate in 2005 was at minus 0.5 percent, according to a report released by the Commerce Department in January. The rate has been negative for seven consecutive months, according to David Wyss, an economist with Standard and Poor's.

"The decline in savings has been going on for about 15 years, but we've now attained the ultimate [with] the whole country managing to spend more money than we earn," Wyss said. "Last year was one of three times that the savings rate was negative."

The rate was also negative in 1932 and 1933, when Americans were dealing with the repercussions of the Great Depression.

It's an interesting article, indicating that the Baby Boomers are not savers because they have never lived during truly poor economic times.  I'm not a Boomer;  I was raised by Depression Era parents.  Believe me, I'm saving.

Down further in the article, the founders of the Kinder Institute of Life Planning talk about how they work to instill a sense of longer term thinking by asking their clients these three questions:

-- If money was no longer an obstacle, what would they do with their life?

-- If a doctor informs them that they have a terminal illness and have only five to 10 years left to live, what would they do within that time?

-- If the doctor then informs them, they only have 24 hours left to live, what would they regret? What did they miss in life?

( I find these questions intriguing. How would I answer? )

How would you answer?