Flashback Finance: The Cost of Retiring the Year You Were Born

When boomers and most Gen Xers entered the world, the “retirement dream” was a standardized, almost guaranteed transition. From the 1950s through the 1970s, part of the financial burden of aging was shouldered by employers through defined-benefit pensions — a “thank you” for decades of hard work and loyalty. For those born in the mid-century era, the idea of a “401(k)” didn’t even exist.

But as we stand in 2026, the goalposts haven’t just moved; they’ve been relocated to an entirely different stadium. For boomers and Gen X, the challenge is unique: you are the “bridge generation,” tasked with funding a 30-year retirement using modern tools while navigating a cost of living that has soared since your first paycheck.