You know about the Three R’s of schooling—reading, ’riting and ’rithmetic – that continue to form the foundation of education even as it becomes much more complex and sophisticated.

Perhaps your net worth is $500,000 and you justifiably feel successful. At the same time, you probably still worry: When you choose to retire, will you have enough money to last the rest of your life?

The typical retirement plan devised by a financial advisor will call for you to manage your investments in stocks, bonds and cash so that they last through your projected life span.

In an effort to keep things simple for people who are nervous about retirement – whether they are 42 or 62 – conventional planning strategies focus on how to save and invest money. If you save X amount and invest wisely you will live happily for N years. That is how retirement misconceptions begin.

Maintaining your financial independence throughout your life is dependent on the plans you make to create retirement income.

When you are working, you have to decide how much to put aside for your retirement savings account. You have to plan for your kids’ education, you plan for owning or renting your primary residence, and to take care of your insurance needs, plus a whole lot of other decisions.

In a world where political ideas come and go, trends surge and falter, revolutions bloom and then fade, a few foundational concepts for retirement remain true: Income is of prime importance, planning for your specific circumstances will increase your financial stability, most retirement calculators are seriously flawed, and you can lessen – but not eliminate – the burden of taxes.

In many ways, single women face the same problems as men when they consider how to retire with enough income, with one exception: They worry more.