Transcript: 4 ways to fix your retirement
By Bankrate.com

Anchor Intro: If your 401(k) or other retirement plan has investments that include money in the stock market, this has been a terrible year. But all is not lost, especially if you have time on your side. Bankrate.com has some tips that will help you rebuild your cracked nest egg.

Voice over 1: Wars, both real and political. A terrible housing market. A horrible stock market. 2008 will go down in the history books as one of the most difficult in a generation.

Voice over 2: And right here is where it all comes home -- on your retirement-plan statement. What's a retirement investor to do? Here are four ideas.

Voice over 3: First, keep contributing to your plan. Stocks are now on sale. So, especially if you have time on your side, keep putting in money.

Voice over 4: Another idea: Contribute more if you can. That's the fastest way to get that retirement account balance back up. So explore your options to expand your investments, maybe with a Roth or other IRA.

Voice over 5: And speaking of Roth IRAs, if you have a regular IRA, converting it to a Roth while prices are down might make sense. Talk to an accountant and see.

Voice over 6: Plan on moving to Florida or other sunny climes after retirement? You'll find some screaming deals on real estate now. So if retirement is looming, consider finding your place in the sun now and renting it out until you're ready.

Standup: One last tip: Use these tough times to trim expenses and fatten savings. Developing frugal habits now will not only help you rebuild your nest egg, it will help you keep it when you reach those golden years. For Bankrate.com, I'm Kristin Arnold.