People are saving much more than they did before the recession, Every says. A lot of that money is placed in short-term reserves, but the economy also has caused people to focus more on their long-term goals. "There's a lot more interest and thought going into retirement planning," she says.

According to Every, workers are paying more attention to the asset allocation of their retirement portfolios as they save money, and they are making sure that as they get closer to retirement, their portfolios reflect less risk. As the investor gets older, less money is invested in aggressive stocks, where the value can fluctuate widely, and more is invested in more stable investment vehicles such as bonds and cash.

But there is still work to be done. Many workers are still not paying enough attention to their retirement statements, says Jenkin. His advice is to meet with a qualified financial adviser to help identify long-term goals, such as deciding how much to save for retirement, as well as short-term targets, such as saving for a vacation. Then, Jenkin encourages people to review their statements regularly to see if they're on track to reach those goals.