Retirement Has Changed. How You Plan for It Should, Too.

For decades, Americans have been taught to build their financial lives around one event: retirement. Save early, save often, and one day you can stop working altogether. Retirement has been marketed as the pinnacle of a successful life, the moment that finally belongs to you.

But what if this premise is flawed? What if retirement, as we imagine it today, is not only outdated but potentially harmful? And what if the real goal of saving isn’t retirement, but something more meaningful?

In my book, Good Money, I argue that the traditional retirement model—40 years of work followed by decades of withdrawal from it—is out of step with modern life and with what we know about human flourishing. Americans now live longer lives than any generation before them, as do others around the world, and many can expect 15-20 years or more of retirement. Yet research repeatedly shows that leaving work entirely can sometimes lead to poorer physical health, cognitive decline, and even increased mortality if handled poorly. This is perhaps not surprising given that full retirement can lead to decreased physical activity, lower community engagement, and loss of a sense of purpose and direction.

https://hbr.org/2026/03/retirement-has-changed-how-you-plan-for-it-should-too