Bobby and Sue have 10 years until their goal retirement age, so they feel they need guidance. Both 52, the couple has concerns about their childs college tuition costs, which will start one year from now. They also plan some major upgrades to their home worth about $25,000, but they dont want to go into debt.

"For retirement, we would like to sell our house and move to another part of the country," Bobby says. "We would like to be comfortable, periodically travel and be as debt-free as possible."

The couple, whose names have been changed, set aside $111,100 in 401(k) plans, $10,300 in IRAs, $6,500 in bonds, $2,700 in savings and $200 in checking. They also have $34,000 earmarked for college tuition, and Bobby expects an annual pension of $64,650 at age 62.

The Star-Ledger asked Jody DAgostini, a certified financial planner with AXA Advisors/RICH Planning Group in Morristown, to help the couple plan for their future.

"Bobby and Sue are wise to begin to see if their retirement can take shape for them," she says. "One of the obstacles in knowing if you have enough to retire is first to visualize what you plan to be doing in retirement, and where you plan to be doing it."

Then, you can attach a price tag.

Bobby and Sue have several goals, including home improvements, which they have been putting off, and a college education for their child. Theyd like to retire in 10 years when theyre both 62.

First, retirement.

DAgostini says retirement often takes on three stages.

First is the "go-go" stage, where retirees often enjoy good health and want to maximize their days by traveling and engaging in new hobbies. "This can often be costly, resulting in expenses that exceed their pre-retirement budget by as much as 105 percent," she says.

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Get With the Plan: Sizing up retirement costs when there's tuition to consider