It took guts and good planning to decide to retire in the middle of the deepest recession in decades.

Even so, those who did felt flickers of self-doubt when the stock market crumbled around the time they banked their final paychecks.

Stocks already had fallen nearly 20 percent from their peak when Bill Cichanski of Tacoma, Wash., walked away from his job as a structural engineer in June 2008. The market crisis that erupted weeks later eroded much more of his savings.

"I was nervous," admits the 65-year-old Cichanski, who had painstakingly built up his holdings to more than $1 million. "But I was still quite comfortable with my decision to retire. I wasn't panicked."

Thanks to his financial preparations for retirement, he has been enjoying himself, hiking in the Cascades with his wife Amanda, doing photography and fishing.

Many older workers have resigned themselves to delaying retirement indefinitely since the downturn that exposed their financial vulnerabilities. But some were able to stick to their timetables and retire anyway, showing what sound planning can overcome.

It doesn't have to be a complex plan, especially if you're under 50. The key in earlier years is simply to set aside as much income as possible for the future. As you move into your 50s and 60s, though, specific plans should take shape.