Retirement should be a time to kick back and relax, whether that means traveling the world or staying at home to play with the grandkids. Unfortunately, far too many seniors are spending their golden years worried about their finances-- and debt is a big reason why.

The following steps can help you understand what you should consider as you plan for retirement.

Getting to where you want to go will depend on the choices you make today. While we know you are likely doing what you can now to save, you have many priorities competing for your money. Taking the appropriate steps now may help set you up for a better financial situation later.

We repeatedly are told to prepare for retirement during our working years.

Are you ready to retire? If you hope to retire in 2018 there are a few steps you'll need to take before riding off into the sunset.

Why Living Longer Means You Have to Save That Much Harder

Now that we are working adults, retirement, like waiting for adulthood, may seem far off into the future but looking back we can see it came all too fast. Below are a couple thought-starters on what your best retirement could look like.

The purpose of a 401(k) is to provide retirement income, so the last thing you ever want to do is access that money while you're still working. But if times get tough and you grow desperate for cash, you might be tempted to tap that account early and access the money that's technically yours.