Like every other contemporary trend, the many issues surroundingretirement today — especially its financial challenges — arenow playing out in the world of internet memes.

Here are several memes that pinpoint the current mainstreamAmerican mindset about retirement and our ability (or lack thereof)to plan for the financial needs of old age…

While nursing home care maynot be necessary for an iron-pumping granny like the woman in thismeme, long-term care becomes anessential consideration once a retiree develops a chroniccondition, suffers a physical trauma, or loses his or her abilityto perform basic self-care tasks. According to 2013statistics from the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention, more than 8 million Americans receive long-term careeach year.

The ideathat savingearly and often is key to retirement happiness ismore than contemporary wisdom. Recent research from AmericanUniversity indicated the average 50-year-old has less than $43,000in retirement savings, yet the average retiree spends well over$100,000 on health care alone during 20 years of retirement.

There aregood reasons to buy lifeinsurance besides the death benefit for loved ones,including the fact that it can provide a source of retirementincome.

Americans may simply beoverconfident about how far their employer-sponsored retirementplan savings are going to go. According to anApril 2015 article in Forbes, which is based on a study fromthe New School, nearly three out of four Americans are not savingenough for retirement.

One reason for the shortfallin American retirement savings may be that consumerssimply don't understand all of the financial toolsavailable to them.

According to 2012 researchfrom LIMRA,85% of American consumers prioritize other expenses (such as theirrent or mortgage) above their retirement savings.

Turning toa reverse mortgage for retirement incomeis generally a sign of financial stress.

There is a genuine need forqualified financial professionals who can offer consumersinsightful estate planning, if for no otherreason than the fact that laws and regulations related to thisarena of finance are constantly in flux.

Even the cool kids areprobably not doing retirement at age 65. The average retirement agein the UnitedStates has been creeping up for decades. By the timetoday's (20- and 30-something) millennialsretire, it's anticipated that most of them will be around73 years old.

Today's baby boomers are notnearly as optimistic about being able to retire early as this memefeaturing Captain Picard, or the fictional “Star Trek” characterplayed by actor Patrick Stewart. The “BoomerExpectations for Retirement 2016” study releasedearlier this year by the Insured RetirementInstitute revealed that at least a quarter of today'sAmericans age 53 to 69 feel pessimistic about their retirementoutlook, predominantly due to a lack of financial planning.

Early retirement is much morelikely for people who live in Cambodia or Thailand, where theaverage retirement age is 50, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment. On the other end of the spectrum, the UnitedKingdom has the oldest average retirement age, at 68. The UnitedStates is one of several countries where the average retirement ageis 67.

Contrary to the sentiment(fictionally) expressed by entertainer Justin Timberlake in thismeme, many people inhis millennial generation actuallybelieve it's more important to experience life to the fullest thanspend money on life insurance or other retirement savingsproducts.

If they believethe statisticiansfrom New York Life, younger retirees might want to putoff the early-to-bed regimen for later in life. That's because theearlier years of retirement tend to be the best years, according tothat company's 2015 retirement insights study. What's the very bestyear of retirement, according to those surveyed? The firstyear.

Despite the fact that manybaby boomers may choose to work past the average retirement age, orkeep a job during their retirement, many others continue toface age discrimination in the workplace, according toAARP.

Increasedlongevity is another issue that's throwing Americansoff when it comes to adequately planning for retirement. At aminimum, today's retirees must plan to fund life into theirmid-90s.

People who tend to be the mostprepared for retirement have surveyed theirsavings options and invested in avariety of financial tools as opposed to a single employerplan.

Pet ownership may be key to ahappy retirement. Some of the benefits of having an animal aroundduring old age include they help battle human loneliness andstress, and they encourage exercise and a healthy dailyroutine.