-- 81 percent of those surveyed said they've reduced their expenses

-- 38 percent are working more

-- 25 percent are saving more money

Assuming this extra money is going into tax-advantaged retirement accounts or taxable accounts geared for growth, these steps can start to make a difference. Just as important, saving and investing more can give you a sense of control over your financial future; you're no longer a bystander, hoping for good news from CNBC. Instead, you're a participant, actively taking a role in building assets. Taking control can be empowering!

The survey also found many people, again not surprisingly, were changing their investment strategy given the market turmoil (43 percent of those surveyed this year said they were "changing the way they invest money"). I understand that urge, but I also encourage you to change in ways that make sense for your portfolio and your long-term goals, not the short-term realities of the market. Put another way, you may be "scared" of equities at the moment, but that doesn't necessarily mean selling them off and putting your money into bonds or cash. If you're unsure about how to adjust your portfolio, get some help from an advisor who can understand your needs, your goals and your fears. Remember, beating inflation is the long-term goal for most retirement investors; you're trying to create wealth for the time when you're no longer working.

Have Courage

It takes courage to invest even in good times, and it can take even more when times are tough. But even though investing in the stock market carries risk (as we have all experienced!), I still believe that it presents the best potential for long-term growth.

I've been following the results of the EBRI Retirement Confidence for years now. Typically, the results have suggested a misguided confidence in the future, but now I think the alarm bells are going off a little bit louder. And people are fearful with good reason. If there's any good news to be had from this recession, perhaps it has served as a wake-up call to take action: to save more, to invest for the long-term and to understand what they're going to need when they retire. Short of a tremendous windfall, the best way to be confident about the future is to plan for it.

Note to Readers: I'm pleased to be launching Ask Carrie, a personal finance advice column designed to answer your most pressing personal finance questions. My aim is to give you clear, straightforward information and to keep the "personal" in personal finance. So please ask away. You can email me at askcarrie@schwab.com. Unfortunately, I, won't be able to respond to you personally, but I will include questions of general appeal in the weekly column.