Sad but true: Spend-happy consumers who can no longer use their houses as an ATM machine are simply finding other ATM machines.

From raiding the equity in their houses, they’re now raiding their retirement plans. At the end of 2006, only 11 percent of workers had outstanding loans from their retirement plans. At the end of 2007, 18 percent had such loans. As we’re approaching Memorial Day weekend, I’m betting it’s well over 20 percent.

Why steal from the "future you"?

Banks aren’t lending money. So people are forced to go to the only lender who’s willing to give them a break - themselves.

The problem with this trend is that the "future you" will probably need the money just as badly as (if not more than) the "present you" - considering the "future you" will be retired and out of a job and trying to live on reduced Social Security benefits.

I beg you to try hard to stay away from your retirement fund. For every $100 you’d be getting from it now, you’re taking $150-$200 or more away from yourself 10 years down the road. You need to give your retirement funds as much time as possible to grow.

Now, more than ever, listen to ETR’s advice to generate additional streams of income.

[Ed. Note: ETR's Investment Director, Andrew Gordon, is the editor of INCOME, a monthly financial advisory service that uncovers income-generating stocks that promise safety (first and foremost), along with much-higher-than-average profit potential.]

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