Americans like to think that we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps to create our own wealth. And this image usually includes financing our own retirement to a large degree. But that's not true everywhere in the world, at least according to a massive survey of 21,000 people in 21 countries by HSBC Insurance and the Oxford Institute of Ageing.

Fewer than a quarter of those surveyed (all between 40 and 69 years of age) in the United States, Japan, Mexico, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia believe that their government should bear most of the financial costs of supporting them in retirement. But in other areas of the world, folks wouldn't mind government help, as in Scandinavia (almost 65 percent), Europe (45 percent), Brazil (50 percent), and China (around 40 percent). You can see the numbers broken down by country and other interesting statistics here.

Tell us, should the government step in by mandating additional private savings, raising taxes, or increasing the retirement age? Or should diligent savers and frivolous spenders alike be left to their own devices in retirement?

Would you prefer that your children inherit an unmortgaged house or your jocular sense of humor? Most people might say their children could use the laughter more than the house, suggests an international survey by HSBC Insurance and Oxford University's Institute of Ageing. Both employees nearing retirement (between 40 and 60 years old) and retirees (between 60 and 69 years of age) say they would rather pass on their personality traits than money.

Some 81 percent of respondents in the United States said they want their heirs to inherit personal values like spirit/sense of humor (38 percent), knowledge (20 percent), religion (16 percent), and commitment to supporting the community (7 percent), according to an HSBC Insurance press release. Just 19 percent of Americans surveyed want to leave heirs property (13 percent) or money (6 percent), the release said.

This inclination to distribute values rather than cash or property also is characteristic of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. "We want to pass on our perspective on life and our knowledge from generation to generation," says Stephen Green, group chairman of HSBC.

Tell us, what do you plan to bequeath to your loved ones?

My last post said many millionaires don't think $1 million is enough for a comfortable retirement. But most employees think they will need to save far less. The Employee Benefit Research Institute asked 1,057 workers how much in savings they thought was needed for retirement. Their answers:

Interestingly, men were much more likely than women to say they needed $1 million or more to retire (24 percent versus 13 percent). And many more women admitted they didn't really know how much they need to save for retirement.

Is a million dollars enough to retire comfortably on? Many baby boomer millionaires don't think so, especially once recession fears come into play. Almost 30 percent of 60-year-old baby boomers with investable assets of $1 million or more say they feel more financial stress now than six months ago, according to a new survey from Bell Investment Advisors and Opinion Research Corp.

The admittedly small survey of 500 boomers born in 1948 found that 40 percent are "downsizing" their lifestyles this year by contributing less to charity (22 percent), canceling, shortening, or postponing vacation plans (21 percent), reducing retirement savings (18 percent), or putting off retirement altogether (11 percent).

Young and old people use healthcare differently. While a young person might go to a doctor to get a prescription for new contact lenses or to seek antibiotics for a sinus infection, older people are more likely to see a doctor regularly to help manage and treat chronic conditions like high cholesterol or hypertension. The average 75-year-old American has three chronic conditions and uses four or more prescription medications, according to an April 2008 report by the Institute of Medicine.

A new survey found that baby boomers want medical care specifically geared toward older patients. Both 55- to 64-year-olds (83 percent) and those over age 65 (87 percent) say it is important to see a healthcare provider with specialized training for adults in their respective age ranges, according to the online survey of 3,110 adults over age 55 by Zogby International and the American System for Advancing Senior Health.

You've probably heard the quip: Be nice to your kids because they'll pick your nursing home. But unless your kids do quite well for themselves, they may not be able to afford one. The average U.S. household pulled in $48,201 in 2006, according to the Census Bureau. The average annual cost of a private room in a nursing home: $76,460, or $209 a day.

A new survey of 10,000 nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home care providers by Genworth Financial found that costs of long-term care have jumped by as much as 25 percent in some areas since 2004. A one-bedroom unit in an assisted living facility costs $36,090 a year. Care by a non-Medicare-licensed home health aide will set you back $19.18 an hour, or $43,884 a year for 44 hours each week. Even the least expensive option, adult day healthcare, will lighten your bank account by $15,236 a year.

Unexpected expenses like medical bills or a death in the family can happen to anyone. And mortgage payments and credit card balances can creep up on you. When you're strapped for cash, the amount you've accumulated in your retirement accounts can look mighty tempting. And it's easy to pay the fee and borrow some cash from your retirement stash.

Some 27 percent of employees planning to retire have withdrawn funds early from retirement investments, according to a recent Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive online survey. The reasons for withdrawing funds before retirement include (with share of all employees who have tapped accounts as a result):