An interesting and increasingly relevant article in the latest strategy + business: How to Be a Demographic Realist. It's about a range of assumptions we generally have as a society about aging and retirement, such as:
Assumption 1: We’ll work long enough to pay for our retirement.
Assumption 2: As our society gets richer, we can afford to retire earlier.
Assumption 3: It is useful to retire people early, because there are not enough jobs for everyone.
Assumption 4: Income and status at work rise linearly, and people retire at their most senior position.
Assumption 5: We accumulate assets while working and spend them during retirement.
Assumption 6: During retirement we won’t change residences more than once.
Assumption 7: The state will provide social and health-care services for us in our later years, allowing our children to inherit a significant portion of our estate.
It may be worth questioning some of the assumptions about questioning these assumption, too. But nevertheless, a worthwhile read.