On Retirement: How Aging Is Transforming American Lives

How longer lives, greater prosperity, and policy shifts are reshaping aging and retirement

Once considered a period of frailty and physical decline, aging and retirement has transformed into a chapter of continued vitality and growth for many Americans. Indeed, medical advancements and government policies opened opportunities for people to live longer and healthier lives, leading to the rise of public discussions over aging and retirement.

On Retirement offers a multi-faceted exploration of how and why retirement, aging, and longevity have emerged as prominent issues in the United States. Written from the perspective of a retired historian, the book assesses the factors that have shaped popular discussions about retirement and aging, from dramatic increases in life expectancy to shifting government policies. The book explores movies, print and new media, senior housing, how-to books, aging organizations, to examine how writers and entrepreneurs have seen and promoted long lives. While popular advice books and media often enforce self-governance narratives to achieve a "successful" retirement, Daniel Horowitz examines how this success is often only accessible through expensive and time-consuming avenues. Moreover, he assesses the socioeconomic and existential challenges most Americans encounter as they age, shaping the choices available to them post-retirement.

Ultimately, the volume assesses that while popular "self-help" perspectives on longevity are shaped by an obsessive interest in doing so successfully, they have failed to account for how dramatic inequalities shape American experiences with retirement. Providing an expansive look into the history of retirement and the profound issues and fears of seniors surrounding finance, health, and longevity, On Retirement examines the changing demographics that have allowed people to live longer and healthier lives and offers a critical assessment of self-governance perspectives within popular retirement advice.