In my industry, we do a lot of measuring.

Of course, that's a good thing because we need to know whether the retirement planning industry is helping investors move toward their retirement goals. That being said, some measurements are more valuable than others.

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For example, take surveys that ask employers whether they feel their employees are prepared for retirement. I'd prefer to know how plan participants are doing--to know whether retirement investors are on track to meet retirement goals.

Likewise, there are participant surveys that measure investors' confidence in retirement readiness. How confident are you that you'll have the retirement you envision? I'd rather know how close you are, numerically, to your retirement goals. There are countless examples of people throughout history who've felt confident only to return poor results.

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What can you do to move beyond confidence and into the realm of knowing you're on track?

Engage in your employer-sponsored retirement plan. Know how much you're contributing and how much your employer is contributing. Pay attention to your monthly statements, your annual investment returns, your plan investing options, and your plan's other benefits, like advice and tools.

Create a retirement savings goal based on your retirement plans and your investing profile. Map your entire retirement savings strategy. Include everything. Things to consider include:

--How much do you contribute to your employer-sponsored plan now? And how much do you plan to increase your contributions over time? Does your employer contribute to your plan now, and will that change in the future?

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In Retirement Planning, Knowledge Trumps Confidence