Is the Retirement Our Parents and Grandparents Had Even Possible Anymore?

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Is the Retirement Our Parents and Grandparents Had Even Possible Anymore?

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Did retirement get harder — or did it just change? A listener writes in with a question a lot of people are quietly asking: Is the kind of retirement our parents and grandparents had even possible anymore? They remember a time when retirement felt automatic — pensions, Social Security, paid-off homes, and far less anxiety about markets or running out of money. Today, even people doing “everything right” feel like retirement is something they have to constantly manage and second-guess. In this episode, Pete breaks down what actually changed, why retirement feels more fragile now, and what we’re really chasing when we say we want “that kind of retirement.” This isn’t a nostalgia tour or a lecture about saving more — it’s a clear, honest look at how responsibility shifted from institutions to individuals, and what that means for modern households. If you’ve ever felt like you’re behind despite being responsible — or wondered whether peace of mind is still attainable — this episode is for you. Because retirement didn’t disappear. The system did.

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