Britain pioneered the comfortable retirement – but that golden age is coming to an end | Helen McCarthy

The once inexorable rise in retiree living standards since the second world war has broken down. Can we keep the dream alive for future generations? When you think of retirement, what comes to mind? Perhaps it is images of older people enjoying a well-deserved period of leisure and comfort in the final stretch of their lives. Cruise ships, garden centres, golf clubs and bungalows by the sea. The truth is that this image is now, in large part, the artefact of a bygone age. A long and comfortab...

By Helen McCarthy