All persons over 65 average spending 19 percent of income on health-related expenses. Near-poor Medicare beneficiaries without Medicaid spend a burdensome 49 percent of total income on health care. Three dominant trends. Most Americans would not have a viable retirement without Social Security. For more than one-quarter of people over 65, Social Security contributes 90 percent of their available income.
Successful retirement is a personal responsibility.
They approach aging with more education, greater economic resources, more diverse attitudes and experiences and far greater expectations. The dramatic shift has been to personal responsibility. To succeed, the over 50 population have to be encouraged to take personal responsibility for their financial life as well as their health and well-being. The more they plan ahead in the pre-retirement years, the less pressure they will have to work in the early retirement years and the more they postpone and limit the emotional and financial burden of late retirement failing health. Marketing success can come from accounting for the need to save in the pre-retirement years and the desire to extend the early retirement period for as long as possible.