Nurses expect that professional achievement and dedication to society
will reward them with economic security in their later years. Such ren
-ards may not be theirs without deliberate and careful attention to ea
rly preparation. This study showed that although nurses expect an adeq
uate income during retirement, their current pension, benefit, and sav
ings status suggests otherwise. Nurses who do not actively manage pers
onal finances or attend to details of employment benefit packages plac
e themselves at distinct risk for economic crisis during their decades
of retirement.