Approaching 40, Bill yearned for a boat. Frugality won out until the day he came across the obituary of an old high-school classmate named Ted. Ted had been the same age as Bill and now he was dead. Bill was certain this was a sign that life was too short. So he went out and purchased a boat that very weekend.

Days later, a former classmate called Bill. "Sure was a sad thing, wasn't it?" the classmate said. "You know, Ted's boating accident and all." (1)

Experts tell us that the baby boom generation is becoming focused on the passage of time. Life IS short and so many boomers are starting to think about retirement. Since many of them have lost faith in Social Security, these boomers are socking away money like never before. That is said to be the primary factor in the spectacular rise in…