Peter Thiel penned a very thought-provoking commentary in Forbes on Americans and their inability to save.
Snip:
The grim facts: After peaking at a peacetime high of 15% thirty years ago, the savings rate fell, plunging below 0% last year. Over the same period, the Boomers went from the start of their careers to near the end. All the while, life expectancies grew. You'd expect the savings rate to be trending up, not down.The nation didn't stop saving because it finally built a solid nest egg. The median American household has just $37,000 in assets other than a home. Even those closest to retirement have surprisingly little saved--the oldest Boomers have about $180,000 to their credit. That's nothing to sneeze at, but consider that $180,000 produces an income of just $750 a month.
Peter's famous quote on the subject is: "The good news is that Americans are living longer. The bad news is that nobody believes the good news."
