Three House members who oversee the Thrift Savings Plan have proposed opening the program to new investment options, including a Roth feature that would allow tax-free withdrawals of retirement savings.

Don't panic; there are things you can do to avoid outliving your retirement savings. Six months of aggressive interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve may be good for the economy, but it's bad news for many seniors who rely on fixed-income investments.

-- Trent Charlton knew the risks when he borrowed $10,000 from his 401(k) and cut his retirement savings in half.

Thinking of dipping into your retirement savings to get through hard times? It's a tempting prospect -- and it could become even more tempting as signs increasingly point toward economic troubles on the horizon.