Here's a wake-up call from Gary North of the Ludwig von Mises Institute on why our idea of retirement will turn out to be a cruel joke. A few quotes:

Social Security will go bankrupt...The average American is going to have a miserable retirement. There's not much a recent retiree can do. They've walked into the trap and it has sprung on them. The greatest losers will be widows, who are almost completely unprepared for what will take place. For most children there will be no inheritance, and parents may become an economic liability on them years before they're prepared.

First, North runs the numbers on America's main social programs and shows that they're doomed. Then he explains what this means for typical citizens -- which of course is horrendous. Then he offers suggestion for avoiding this fate.

A lot of people on the sound money side of the spectrum already know much of this, at least in general. But for those who think everything is basically okay and expect a comfortable government-funded retirement, the next 90 minutes could be a life saver.