1.6

Why not let more immigrants in then?

Oh that's right. Racism.

Almost as if the current government's real mission is to sabotage the US in every way possible.

They don’t understand averages.

It's more about mortality rates, remaining life expectancies at different ages, and how those have changed over time, but yeah. High infant mortality really skews those stats.

I’m more concerned about being able to work long enough to afford retiring.

You're not alone in that. I'm 70 and still working fulltime. I'll be retiring at 71. At that point, my mortgage will be paid off and my post-retirement disposable income will exceed what I get now while working. I was hoping for better, but life had other plans for me. At least, so far, I have good health and fitness, though I look like three miles of bad road.

Ageism is a thing. As I’m approaching 60, I understand I may never be able to get hired again in my field.

It made things more difficult for me but not impossible. I got my current job at age 58, and I'm in a highly technical field where age discrimination is even more virulent than elsewhere. Only three firms gave me an interview but I got offers from two of them. So I'd characterize it as shitty but not quite impossible. The (slightly) good news is that, in most US states, if you have a job, it's harder to lay you off as you get near retirement age. It's not quite a protected category, but close.

I'm young still but well said. This is what my mom used to talk about but I still struggle to understand and implement. I'll get there but sooner would be better.