All signs are pointing to higher taxes in the future. The middle class, especially those diligently saving for retirement in their 401(k)s and IRAs, need to be ready for that.

Did you know only 52% of Americans invest in the stock market? The reasons for this are varied, from fear after the market crash of 2007-2008, the current market unpredictability, to a lack of understanding/fear. Since 1995 though, the S&P 500 has risen 7.8% a year on average. At that rate, someone starting with $1,000 and putting just $100 a month into a fund indexed to the S&P would after 35 years have $227,078 — enough to generate an added $17,000 a year of income in retirement.

How much will be enough? It’s a common enough question to ask when saving for retirement. How much will I need? Is, unfortunately, a complex question without an easy answer as each person asking it will have a totally different backstory and portfolios.

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about Baby Boomers lately. Not surprising considering this huge generation is reaching retirement age in a very different economic climate than their parents. In fact, 10,000 Boomers are turning 65 every day. Boomers, as a group, will be retiring with more debt than their parents, be it credit card, education, or a mortgage. On top of that, the cost of living has jumped significantly in the last few decades, with housing up 21% in the last three years alone, food up 26% in the last ten years. Medical costs even for those over 65 who qualify for Medicare have increased as well. What that means for retiring Boomers, as this is a population who has the potential, through lifestyle and advances in medicine, to live well into their eighties, nineties, and hundreds, is that they should go over the following checklist of financial goals.