"40 years ago, we started what I call the DIY retirement system, where people were asked to save for their own financial futures, and it looked really great on a spreadsheet. All you had to do was find an employer that would sponsor one of these 401K plans, or you could save it on your own in a bank or in an individual retirement account, but the focus was on the individual's responsibility to put money aside ..."

#TeresaGhilarducci, 2025

https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-you-will-never-retire

#podcasts#CurrentAffairs

Thanks, I hate it. By running that experiment on its own citizens (without their informed consent) the USA has proven that individualised retirement savings systems don't work as well as universal pension systems. The interview with Ghilarducci mentions one heartbreaking result; a 90-year-old veteran pushing shopping trolleys around outside a supermarket to make ends meet.

Shame on you, US oligarchs. Shame.