Episode 105: An Appalling Lack of Savings

Here are a couple sobering numbers: The typical American has only $8,000 in the bank, and the median savings for the age cohort approaching retirement is only $120,000. Neither is anywhere close to adequate. Might a fiscal cliff be approaching for millions of retirees? Joe and Mark do a deep dive into the scary numbers outlining Americans’ financial distress and declining optimism about the future, consider some reasons how and why we became so uniquely bad at saving, and ponder whether this phenomenon is something new or simply a return to the perilous days of yore. (Recorded January 31, 2025.)