Retirement Policies and Related Social Changes in the Lifecycle

This Essay argues that retirement policies, including retirement income and healthcare sufficiency, should be crafted in light of demographic and lifestyle changes rather than as a means to solve a larger fiscal problem. The author studies work force demographics and life expectancy in the decades following WWII as compared to today and discusses how other nations have attempted to solve the same problems currently facing the United States. As a means of addressing the increasing fiscal demands of paying for retirement, the article proposes an “omnibus” plan that extends the retirement age, introduces “means testing” for certain benefits as well as cutbacks and proposes changes to the taxable wage base.