1. Imagine this: You, not working
You can't plan for your retirement unless you know where you're going. You need dreams. So start thinking about what you want to do after you're finally done working. Do you and your spouse dream of traveling, volunteering or starting a business? How about building a cabin on a lake? You can never start envisioning your retirement too soon. Even if you think your dreams might shift in the years ahead, working on them today at least gets the conversation started and helps you plan financially for the future.

Start filling out the Ameriprise Dream Book^® guide, if you haven't already. It helps you define your retirement vision and detail your plans for the future, which is the first step to making them a reality.

2. Aim to be a millionaire
Now that you know what you want to be doing, it's time to figure out how much you need to get there. Run some numbers using the Retirement Planner at ameriprise.com . Let's say you're 40 years old, earn $100,000 a year, and have $200,000 in your 401(k). You might determine you need $2 million saved up by the time you're 70. To get there, you'd need to invest $917 per month, or 11% of your annual income, and earn a 7% annual rate of return. Unsure if you're saving enough for retirement? Talk with your Ameriprise financial advisor about how you can get your retirement savings on track.

3. Sock away money at every chance
There's a decent chance you'll need a lot more money than you think. Retirement costs are soaring, you might live to 100 and you may be getting less help from your employer and Uncle Sam. Save as much as you possibly can during your prime earning years. Workplace-sponsored 401(k)s let employees under age 50 save up to $16,500 each year. Plus, your employer may throw in a match — which is like free money. Aim to save at least 15% of your gross pay. Not there yet? Increase your retirement savings contribution with every pay raise, before you get too used to that higher paycheck.

4. Go beyond the workplace
Don't stop with your 401(k). The reality is that it may not be enough. Uncle Sam offers other tax-savvy ways to save for retirement. Consider opening a Roth IRA, which allows for after-tax savings and tax-free withdrawals. This helps you hedge against the possibility of future tax increases, so you don't need to fret as much about taxes during retirement. A Roth IRA can also give you access to investment options you don't have at work, such as municipal bonds, real estate investments, commodities and emerging market funds. Another option to consider: A traditional IRA, which can help you further broaden your retirement savings plan and give you more control over your investment selections.

5. Find your sweet spot
Don't let this year's market swings throw your portfolio out of whack. Determining how to best allocate your savings between various kinds of assets — including stocks, bonds and cash — can be a powerful way to keep your retirement savings growing. Spreading your savings across various sectors and asset types can help soften the effects of big market fluctuations so you can worry less. Dollar-cost averaging — putting money into investments on a regular basis, regardless of market conditions — can also help. And rebalancing your portfolio can make it possible to lower your exposure to investments that have recently outperformed the market while increasing exposure to those that may be ready to grow. These strategies can be tricky, so make sure you ask your advisor for help.

6. Steer clear of emotional investing
This year's gut-wrenching market rollercoasters are a good reminder of why it's so important to remain calm amidst the storm. That's not always easy to do when the markets fluctuate — as investors, our emotions tend to follow those cycles. So when markets perform well, we tend to become euphoric and pour money into stocks. And as the markets turn down, our emotions change and eventually we may reach a "depression" point. This can cause us to pull out of the stock market just as it reaches its low and miss out on gains as it rises again. The lesson: emotions can cause us to do just the opposite of what we should do. So avoid trying to time the market based on your emotions. Being out of the markets, even briefly, could cause you to miss opportunities and cost you considerably.

7. Leave your worries behind
Even if you build a bulletproof saving and investing strategy, your dreams aren't necessarily safe. You could experience an illness that prevents you from working and earning an income. Or your home could be damaged in a storm. You need to protect yourself against the risks in today's world. Your advisor can help evaluate your personal situation and line up the right levels of protection, whether it's disability income insurance, long-term care coverage, or auto, home and life policies. With sufficient protection, you can focus on the fun parts of planning for the future without having to worry about all the "what ifs" along the way.

You can't put off working toward retirement — especially given all the uncertainty in the world today. Your Ameriprise financial advisor can guide you through these key steps for reaching your retirement dreams, so you can live the retirement you want regardless of what happens in the future.

1. Imagine this: You, not working
You can't plan if you don't know where you're going. No, this doesn't mean spending a few minutes daydreaming about all those things you might do some day. It means actually putting some deep thought into what you want for the future and then writing down those ideas, so you can plan for how you'll achieve them. Do you and your spouse dream of traveling? Volunteering or starting a business? Building a cabin on a lake? Write it down! Ask your Ameriprise financial advisor for a copy of the Dream Book^® guide, which can help you with the retirement planning process. Once your advisor has a better understanding of what you're trying to achieve, he or she can more effectively create a strategy to help you get there.

2. Sock away money at every chance
Who hasn't experienced market losses in recent years? Unfortunately, there's no secret formula to make up for them. The surest way to recover — and prepare for the possibility of living to 100 — is saving as much as you can. This should be goal No. 1 as you near retirement. So make sure you're maxing out contributions to your retirement accounts, including making any "catch-up" contributions to your 401(k) and IRA.

3. Pool your savings
By now, you might have three, five or even 10 retirement accounts floating around. But it's hard to smartly invest and manage so many accounts. It makes sense to consolidate those accounts before retirement so you can more easily and effectively tap them when you need to. Work with you advisor to determine the best plan of action for your various accounts, and start preparing a game plan for how you'll tap them in retirement.

4. Mind your health
Think health care costs are high today? Wait till retirement. Couples today will spend an estimated $250,000 on health care in retirement, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, and that figure will keep rising. Don't expect Medicare to save the day: It only covers a portion of the costs, and it may cover even less in the future. Work with your advisor to figure out how you'll cover health-related costs in retirement, and consider funding a health savings account. Some employers offer them as part of their health plans, but you can also set one up yourself if you buy individual health insurance. HSAs let you to save for present and future health expenses tax-free. Contributions by you or your employer aren't typically considered taxable income and withdrawals aren't taxed as long as they pay for eligible medical costs.

5. Go long and steady
The recent market turmoil has lots of people fretting over their retirement savings. Sound familiar? If you're worried about how much money you have saved up — and whether it'll last you the 30 or 40 years you might need it to — consider ways to ease your worry. Some strategies include getting an annuity that provides a steady income stream throughout your lifetime, adjusting your investment strategy or even taking on a part-time job in retirement.

6. Don't ignore reality
You probably dread imagining yourself ever needing extended care, whether it's in your home or a nursing home. But it's a fact of life: About 70% of Americans who reach age 65 will need long-term care at some point, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. That can mean spending nearly $84,000 a year on a nursing home, according to MetLife, or paying for someone to care for you at home. While you're in your 50s and early 60s, consider purchasing long-term care coverage that could pay for the cost of a lengthy stay in a nursing facility or in-home care. It's typically better to get a policy sooner rather than later to lock in premiums while you're younger.

7. Keep your cool
How you invested when you were 40 probably isn't how you should invest at 50 or 60. Priorities change, and you need to start focusing on preserving your wealth as much as growing it. But don't make the mistake of becoming too conservative in your investing too soon — something that often happens after market downturns. Remember, you may need your retirement savings to last you more than 30 years and that usually means continuing to invest in stocks and bonds well into your retirement years.

Today's turbulent economy is a reminder that we can't control everything that happens to our finances. But your Ameriprise financial advisor can help you build a strategy that can keep you on track to reach your retirement goals no matter what the future brings.

1. Keep your dreams alive
You only live once — so don't let a little market turbulence spoil your plans. Meet with your Ameriprise financial advisor to review your goals and dreams and assess whether you have the financial resources to achieve them. If not, your advisor can help you make adjustments to your plan so you can start living the retirement you want to live.

2. Stick to a budget
Don't burn through your nest egg too fast. You'll likely need that money to maintain your quality of life for years to come. A rule of thumb is to withdraw only up to 4% of your retirement savings each year. Of course, unexpected expenses can throw a wrench into the best-laid plans. Your Ameriprise financial advisor can help you establish a spending plan and withdrawal rate tailored to your needs.

3. Be tax savvy
Uncle Sam wants a bite of your nest egg, but you don't have to give him such a big piece. How you withdraw from your various taxable and tax-deferred accounts in retirement — and which you tap first, second and so on — determines the taxes you owe and how much is left to live on. It's generally best to tap taxable savings before tax-advantaged retirement accounts — especially with tax rates potentially on the rise. But everyone is different and there can be tax benefits to tapping several different types of retirement savings accounts at the same time.

4. Don't overreact
Are you letting the bad economy scare you into making rash decisions? A common mistake retirees make, especially after the stock markets sink, is shifting a big portion of their assets to cash and fixed-income investments. While you should consider investing more conservatively as you age — since you have less time to recover from market downturns — you don't want your investment portfolio to become so risk-averse that it's gobbled up by inflation. Remember, retirement can last more than 30 years. Your assets should stay diversified so your nest egg can keep growing and last as long as you need it.

5. Boost your income
You laid out a plan with your advisor, but times have changed. You may feel you need more financial resources to live out your dreams. If so, talk with your advisor about how to bolster your income stream — such as setting up an annuity or adding more dividend-paying stocks to your portfolio. You may also want to consider a part-time job to fill any income gaps.

6. Prepare for the long run
It may not be as fun, but planning for your later years is crucial. People often only plan for their early retirement years, when they can travel the world or partake in their favorite activities. But those activities may not be realistic when you're 80, 90 or 100. Your advisor can help you think through how you hope to spend your later retirement years and work through some possible scenarios. Then you can take steps to be more prepared, such as by securing long-term care coverage to help pay for any services you may need or setting up an annuity to protect your retirement income.

7. Keep checking in
Don't leave your retirement on autopilot. Dreams and goals often change over the course of retirement for lots of reasons. How you spend the first five years of retirement may not be how you want to spend the next five, and so on. Reviewing your goals periodically can help you feel more confident that you can continue to live the retirement of your dreams.

Don't let today's economy stop you from living the retirement you worked so hard to achieve. Your Ameriprise financial advisor can recommend strategies to help you stay on track with your retirement goals today — and in the future.