1. Many experts say that we "baby boomers" are not saving enough for our retirements.  This may well be true; as a group we never really signed on to  that "delayed gratification" thing, but we are a resourceful bunch!  I suspect that most of us will figure out a way to make it work.  If we have to work a few more years or downsize, so be it.  Do not misunderstand however; it is vitally important to save and prepare for one's retirement years.  And it is not outside the realm of possibility that a few of us may end up penniless and distraught due to our misspent youth.  But, at its best, retirement planning is a process that depends on a great number of assumptions, any of which may go awry even when using the most sophisticated theories and software.  The best any of us can do is to prepare as well as we can, then hope and pray for the best.  No useful purpose is served by getting too wrought up over that which one cannot control.
2. The power of compounding is the saver's best planning friend.  Impress this on your children and convince them that the sooner they begin saving, the longer this magic has to work for them.
3. Most folks should avoid investing in variable annuities.  This rule may be suspended in certain years when you have contributed every possible dime that you can to all of the other tax-advantaged plans available to you.  Even then, other choices may be available that are better.
4. If winning the lottery figures into your retirement plans, you have set yourself up for a huge disappointment.  Get real; you are not going to win the lottery!  I, on the other hand, may.
5. Most amateurs should not have a 2 iron in their bags.
6. Most Americans do not want to be told the whole truth, especially by their politicians.  The fact that we continue to elect folks who mislead us verifies this observation.  And our politicians are only too happy to accommodate our aversion to the truth as this makes their re-election so much easier, and that is really what it is all about for many of them.  You see, that elected position, especially at the federal level, is a really nice gig.  Their retirement benefits will water your eyes, as they do not have to share many of our retirement concerns.
7. Hugo Chavez is a buffoon.  Bravo! to the people of Venezuela for showing the wisdom to foil his dictatorial plans and a Bronx cheer to the American celebrities who have supported him.  They must have mush for brains!
8. The fact that an individual of average intelligence cannot sit down and in an hour or two determine his federal tax bill is a national disgrace.  Although tax simplification is mentioned from time to time in political discourse, no real effort to simplify our tax code is on the horizon.  The monies spent on accountants, tax attorneys, other tax preparers, and the humongous IRS bureaucracy represents another huge and onerous tax on the American people and our economy.  It also illustrates why the likelihood of tax simplification is dim at best.  Moreover, remember that no one can possibly know everything about our tax code; it is just too big and complicated.
9. All classes of assets, at one time or another, will go up, and down, in value.  Those who thought that real estate was exempt from this law are now finding otherwise.
10. Social Security will not, cannot, survive long term in its present iteration.  This observation is a financial certainty.  However, I am also sure that it will survive in some fashion.  Something will be there not only for you, but for you children as well.  You see, love it or loathe it, the Social Security program has been a success in that it has made retirement tolerable for many, many folks who would have otherwise suffered in their later years.  It is simply too important for the well-being of our people and our economy to allow it to fail completely.  Unfortunately, our elected reps have thus far continued to push the problem off onto the next crop of politicians because they have lacked the courage or wisdom to deal with it.  When some have put forth plans to fix the program, the AARP, ACLU, AFL-CIO, or some other interest group have taken issue with certain aspects of the fix and opposed it; and those groups are fairly influential during political contests.  Thus, we have been at a stalemate for years, all the while everyone realizing that something has to change.  Let us hope that wisdom and courage will prevail very soon.  The longer the wait, the sicker the patient, and then, the harsher the treatment.  

I am fairly certain of several other things as well (the love of God, the importance of family and friends, etc.), but these types of lists have historically extended only to ten items, so I will follow convention.  You can probably add a few items of your own; feel free to do so.  I will spend some more time on the topic of Social Security in upcoming discussions.

Fly/Drive safe!