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Notes -
This is fair enough.
The better data point would've been to hit me with would've been "what about people who save something, but then have it gobbled up by medical issues later in life, or some other tragic event?"
The simple solution is what used to be the default solution - you have Old Timer's insurance in the form of Social Security, and it only kicks in at a truly advanced age. "Retirement" in the American vision of it is not something that can endure. People live far longer now and, due to some of the cost diseases I mentioned earlier, it's just plain harder to save the necessary amount to finance a 20 or 30 year retirement.
I'm optimistic that people will be comfortably working into their 70s by about the 2040s. I do believe this is a good thing. I've seen retirees go through cycling phases of anger and depression because they feel they've lost purpose by not working, even if they are totally financially self-sufficient. Cognitive decline without social interaction is a real thing and seems to me (anec-datally) to be more severe in older folks.
But what to do about those folks who can't even work a semi-BS laptop job after 65? Or who have medical issues (probably lifestyle related) that simply makes not-dying a herculean daily chore.
My answer here is I don't know. Which is an unsatisfying answer. I can say, however, that the math paints a pretty stark picture - if we keep paying out for healthcare and social security the way we are now, we're bankrupt as a nation by 2030. That is a path that doesn't just look like India, it would look up to them.
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