Both my wife's parents retired with health care and pensions in addition to social security. The combination left them with a comfortable retirement. My wife and I both were steered into 401k schemes and employee stock purchase programs. The banksters told us we were doing everything right; we would be able to retire easily when we were 50. Then wall street perpetrated a few egregious frauds and the 401ks are now a quarter of what they were before and not producing any real income while our home is now worth about half what we paid for it.
I tend to get a little testy when it is suggested that we should have lived less frivolously and saved more when we were making better money. We lived well withing our means and didn't go in for flashy cars or homes. According to the banksters, we "did everything right." If we had lived like misers and saved every penny possible, it just would have given the bankers more to take from us. As it is, when I can't work anymore our savings will last a few years depending on inflation, and some rich guy will get our house for pennies on the dollar at a tax auction.
As far as I can see, all I have to look forward to is to be able to take as many of the ones who perpetrated this mess as I can with me when I check out.