The Retirement Illusion Shattered Cultural historian Lawrence Samuel's latest book, The Rise and Fall of Retirement in the United States: A Social History, has sent shockwaves through the retirement planning community with its unflinching assessment of the modern concept of a leisurely retirement.
According to Samuel, this notion is little more than a powerful myth – one that Americans have been sold on for decades.
Samuel argues that the dwindling resources allocated to Social Security, projected to run out by 2032, are only part of the problem.