A Long Life Is Expensive
In 1900, life expectancy in the United States was 49. No wonder people didn't do much retirement planning back then. Today, it's almost 78, and it's projected to steadily increase over the next 50 years. What these life expectancy numbers mean is that if you want to retire at 65, you need to plan on at least a 20 to 30 year period of supporting yourself from the return on your investments. That's expensive, and you'll likely need to take some financial risks to do it.