In the U.S., a person's major source of revenue is their job or jobs. However, when he or she retires, their source of income tends to come from different and multiple sources. This would include payments by the Social Security administration, part-time jobs or savings accounts that were designated as retirement accounts. The question is - Which are the most popular ones? The below list is arranged from least to most popular.

1. Rent and Royalties. The common sources of these payments are trademarks, copyrights or patents. Real estate investments also earn rent for property owners. About 6% of future American retirees anticipate income from rental properties or royalty payments throughout their retirement while at least 4% of retirees currently do. It is ok to have a major portion of your retirement income from rentals but it does not necessarily make it the ideal source. Consider having a several sources along with rental income such as investment portfolio and IRAs.

2. Annuities or Insurance. These are financial programs that guarantee the purchaser payments for as long as they live. There are about 8% of both those presently working and retirees that anticipate having annuity payments or insurance plans playing a significant role in their retirement strategy. However, retirees should be cautious about the wordings and expenses involved in these contracts. Annuities are not for older people due to the time requirements but still they end up purchasing them. Prior to buying these financial products, let an independent financial specialist review the annuity paperwork or contract.

3. Inheritance. What better way to solve all your income requirements when you retire than inheriting a huge amount of properties and cash. Those who anticipate a significant amount of wealth through inheritance comprises 9% of the current working population. Yet, only 3% of the presently retired responded that inheritance is helping pay for their retirement. The reality is, inheritance don't always materialize. You or the benefactor could live longer than expected and may require the wealth for whatever purpose they may serve.

4. Part-Time Work. Some future retirees anticipate working part-time when the time comes, especially those who fail to save enough assets. About 17% anticipate that they will be working part-time in retirement. This has gone up from 9% in 2001. On the other hand, those who retire that still wants to work, must be able to find a job first hen be able to keep the job and healthy enough to continue working. The fact is, only 4% of retirees responded to the survey that they are currently working part-time.

5. Home Equity. If you have a home and have built up some equity on it, you can use this to pay for your retirement. This, however, is less popular now among the Americans planning to (from 29% in 2007 down to 19% in 2011) and is as low as it was in recent history. This 20% precisely equals the number of retirees doing just that. However, utilizing home equity to pay for retirement and other similar types of funding should be approached with a grain of salt. This should be something that is at the bottom of the list due to the risks involved and that is losing a roof over your head as well as losing the property you might wish to leave to your kids.

6. Stocks and Stock Mutual Funds. At present, it is with pessimism that stocks are looked at as a way to generate income when one retires. Now, a mere 20% of workers believe that stocks and mutual funds will supply a major part of their retirement income. In 2007 there was 24% that thought the same or 4% more than the current. Currently, only 13% of present retirees are using stocks or funds to pay for part of their living expenses. Also, when you invest on stocks, you defer any tax payments until you sell them. When retirees make withdrawals from traditional 401k and IRA accounts, they must pay regular income taxes. In short, having an account that is paying qualified dividends and long-term capital gains, these are investments that are better to have outside of a retirement account.

7. Savings Accounts and CDs. A small portion of retirees (12%) at present are using money tucked away in savings accounts and certificates of deposits to fund retirement. On the other hand, 21% current of workers pray that strict savings habits will provide for a solid source of retirement income. If somehow, a retiree decides, against better judgment and gets involved in the stock market, it is recommended that they keep between two years and four years of living expenses in the form of cash in case the stock market dives once more.

8. Pensions. Workers who are expecting to receive pension income in retirement have hit a rock bottom of 22% and lower from the 31% in 2007. Workers who are just entering the workforce are finding fewer companies that offer pensions and they are also looking at less generous payouts than their predecessors. Only about 36% of those retired are getting pension income.

9. Retirement Accounts. Americans who are looking forward to having their retirement funded by a 401K, IRA, Keogh or other types of retirement account is comprised of around 44% of the total population. This is slightly lower than 52% (by 8%) as of 2007. Gallup also found however, that only 21% of current retirees are of the thinking that retirement account withdrawals will be one of their main sources of retirement income.

10. Social Security. A survey made on Americans by a survey group that is well known for its political surveys reveals that out of 1,000 Americans, 53 percent of retirees say Social Security payments comprises a big chunk of their income. Workers who are currently working also expect Social Security to largely pay for their retirement. This is the highest ratio ever recorded by the group which took 10 years to do. This is also up by 7 percentage points since 2007.