America's Road to a DIY Retirement

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The Wall Street Journal

Daily News, News

4.1 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 8 March 2026

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Who should be responsible for an American retirement? For the early part of the nation's history, that was never a consideration. The fate of older Americans was on them. Then in the early 20th century, a host of movements ushered in company pensions and Social Security, helping to create the modern-day idea of retirement for many workers. But as pensions fade into 401(k)s and Social Security teeters, workers again find themselves bearing more responsibility and risk of financing their golden years. This episode is part of The Wall Street Journal’s USA250: The Story of the World’s Greatest Economy, a collection of articles, videos and podcasts aiming to offer a deeper understanding of how America has evolved. Further Reading: The Struggle To Keep America’s Workers Safe An Economy Built on Speculation Americans Are Claiming Social Security Early, Fearful of Its Future This New Investing Idea Isn’t Right for Your Retirement Plan How to Keep This Hot Stock Market From Melting Your Retirement Dreams Lloyd Blankfein Misses Being Goldman Sachs CEO—Mostly When There’s a Market Crisis Wall Street Is Pushing Private Assets Into 401(k)s. We Asked Whether Anyone Wants Them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	In a world full of noise, long-term thinking stands out.
0:07.1	On the Capital Ideas podcast, Capital Group Leaders explore the decisions that matter most
0:12.4	in investing, leadership, and life.
0:16.0	It's a rare look inside a firm that's been helping people pursue their financial goals for more than 90 years.
0:22.5	Listen to the Capital Ideas podcast from Capital Group, published by Capital Client Group, Inc.
0:29.9	So, Jason's Wagg, what is a tauntine?
0:34.4	So a tauntine is an informal kind of insurance in which a group of people get together and they pool their money.
0:44.2	And as each member of the tauntine dies off, the money is then redistributed among the survivors.
0:54.1	Jason's Wig writes the intelligent investor column at the Wall Street Journal. the money is then redistributed among the survivors.
0:58.3	Jason's Wig writes the intelligent investor column at the Wall Street Journal.
1:03.0	He spends a lot of time thinking about how people invest and how they used to invest.
1:06.2	You may have heard about tauntines from popular culture.
1:09.2	They've been the subject of an episode of The Simpsons.
1:12.6	How many of you were familiar with the concept of a tonteen?
1:18.3	They, essentially, we all enter into a contract whereby the last surviving participant becomes the sole possessor of all them 30 pictures.
1:22.6	We're in the animated television show, Archer,
1:25.5	and we're also the subject of a 1966 movie called The Wrong Box,
1:29.8	starring Michael Cain.
1:31.4	Grandfather has murdered Uncle Joseph and then suffered a conipion fit.
1:38.1	No, never said.
1:40.9	And he did it because he wanted me to have the Tontine.
1:44.8	Tontines originated in Europe, but became popular as a financial tool in the early years of American independence.
	...

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