5 Money Habits of the Most Well-Prepared Retirees

There are some basic and undeniable tenets of retirement preparedness, including starting to save early, saving consistently, and leaving your nest egg undisturbed until retirement age. But as research like 2013's Moss National Money and Happiness Study -- which found the happiest retirees don't have a mortgage or are very close to having it paid off by the time they retire -- shows that the financial choices you make in your 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond have significant bearing on how, when, and how well you retire.