I think the real lesson is we don't know how long or how much we'll need to save. We do know that we'll live longer than the people for whom the original pensi

I think the real lesson is we don't know how long or how much we'll need to save. We do know that we'll live longer than the people for whom the original pension systems were defined. We also know that returns may not be as good as they have been in the past. What can we do? 1 - Invest reasonable amounts in aggressive enough well diversified tax friendly financial assets with low fees. (Low fee index funds in 401Ks, and 529s for folks with kids) 1.5 - Delink your financial investments from your human capital. If your salary (& options) are very tied to the success of silicon valley, don't invest in the NASDAQ. If you are working for a mining company, avoid commodities funds because you don't want your investments to lose value the same time you lose your job. 2 - Avoid high cost debt. (Credit cards, unsecured bank loans, etc) 3 - Invest time (and if needed, money too) in your professional education continuously. Assume your skills (and salary) will degrade on a trendline of 5-10% each year that you don't invest. 4 - Plan on working a long time. (75? Note - this isn't as hard as previous generations, because less of the work is manual) 5 - Invest in your health, since you'll be working and living longer. 6 - Invest your time in a happy and healthy home life. This sets you up for a pleasant surprise of retiring at 55 if the situation allows, or 75 if it doesn't.