The whole notion of “leisurely retirement for the masses” is a relatively recent phenomenon. Until the 1960s, the vast majority of folks worked until they couldn’t work any longer and then they moved in with family (or were heavily assisted by family) and their basic needs were met with Social Security and modest savings. And they died about 10 years earlier than they do these days, so that “retirement” was generally brief.
The top 10% of earners/savers will, in aggregate, probably have enough money to “retire” in the manner that we see in commercials – in their 60s, with travel, etc. But they are the exceptions. Everyone else should plan on working in some manner until they are no longer mentally/physically able. Last time I checked, a “leisurely retirement” was not a birthright. It is largely a fiction that’s been perpetuated by a long-building asset bubble (still popping) and unfunded (in reality) government programs like Social Security (which is really just a disguised portion of the credit bubble).
