How not to be a retirement statistic

If you're among the newly reported 43% of American workers who do not have more than $10,000 in retirement savings, you better keep reading. WalletPop has immediate tips to get you on the right track toward life after work. The first piece of advice: Don't panic.

"Many people have been forced by weak markets and the recession to have a do-over in their financial lives," Mitchell Slater, a senior vice president and financial adviser for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, told WalletPop on Monday.

"Try not to stress out too much and just, as Nike says, do it. The younger you are, the better the news is for people worried about not saving enough for retirement."