McMullen's back with her take on last month's effort. She says advisers need to do more to pierce the fog clouding how young workers view retirement savings. She's also worried that employees may be missing the forest for the trees when they talk about everything but LTC - no savings program is safe in the face of a long-term care event. Finally, she likes the way Mel Schlesinger reminds her to bring her communications A-game when calling on prospects and clients.

Wow. What a time to be a columnist. As I write this, we're in the midst of one of the largest meltdowns on Wall Street in history, and frankly it's hard not to be distracted. But as advisers, I'm reminded that we all must keep our focus on our jobs and serving our clients. So here goes.

Will optimism pay the rent?

Last month's article ("Gen X and Y fret much, save little," p. 22) on retirement savings rates for Generation X and Y spooked me a little. I remember when I was fresh out of college that saving for retirement was low on my list of priorities. And certainly, today's grads are entering a world with more debt and a higher cost of living. Nonetheless, the low retirement savings rates are scary. We've seen some success with auto-enrollments, but there must be other ways.

Of course the flip side of this argument, based on data I've seen on Gen X and Y is that this group is far more optimistic about the future in general and does not believe that Social Security will be around when they reach retirement age anyway. This is a group that knows they will have to do it on their own. I think those of us who have been around awhile owe it to the younger team members to counsel them and mentor them about savings. Maybe the personal touch is the most effective?

Charitable charades

The profile on Joe Part was refreshing ("Pipedreams," p. 28). I wanted to extend the conversation on one of his suggestions - about getting involved in the community and charitable organizations. I'd caution anyone thinking about volunteering. Before you get involved, make sure that you have a personal passion for the organization that outweighs whatever business-related reason you may have. When you volunteer, it is a commitment that reflects on you, and to some extent, your employer.

If you can't follow through on your commitments to the organization, indeed if you can't excel on your efforts, you put your personal reputation and that of your company at risk. Beyond that, people can tell when you have a personal passion for a cause versus an ulterior motive. Just showing up won't cut it. Get involved. Be passionate. Make a difference.

LTC will crater any savings plan

Speaking of kids, I also enjoyed the piece on 529 plans ("To sell, or not to sell," p. 44).Ironic, isn't it, to go from talking about recent college graduates saving for retirement to talking about parents saving for college while the kids are still young? It just goes to show you how our lives are dominated by the constant drum of reminders to save for one thing or another.

The discussion of 529 plans also made me think about a different kind of preparation - insurance protection in the case of a major injury or illness. Specifically, I'm talking about long-term care. At the risk of being a fear monger, it should be pointed out the huge risk to diligent savings posed by an injury or illness that significantly impacts a parent's ability to work. In very short order those 401(k)s, 529s and other savings accounts can be depleted. Our firm is seeing strong interest in LTC plans, and I wonder if this is true elsewhere. E-mail me and let me know.

Last, I wanted to note my appreciation for Mel Schlesinger's column (p. 60).It's human nature to become more relaxed the more we are experienced and knowledgeable. His column made me think about my own most recent calls, and whether or not I was still preparing as comprehensively as I did a few years ago. You guessed it - I found that there were a few occasions where I just trusted my experience would carry me through. Mel's column is a great reminder that no matter how long we've been at it, we can always use a refresher course on the basics.

Last, but not least, I want to circle back to a theme that I can't seem to escape - personal responsibility. Last month, I railed about how more employers are becoming involved in employee health and lifestyle issues. This month, I'm talking about employers being involved in Gen X and Y saving for retirement and parents saving for college. What's interesting is that this discussion is taking place not in a personal finance or health magazine, but in a trade publication for corporate benefits advisers.

Like it or not, our industry is increasingly being called on to help facilitate behavior that very much used to be in the domain of the home, a primary care provider's office andthe local bank. I don't know what this says about our society, but I do know that we have an opportunity, through the products and services we sell, to help individuals make smart choices for themselves, their families and their futures. And that's pretty cool!

McMullen is SVP of employee benefits for USI's Kibble & Prentice. Just like last time, she and her firm want everyone to know these comments are hers alone. KP nor any of its employees or affiliates makes any warranty or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product or process disclosed. She can be reached at michelle.mcmullen@kpcom.com.