By Joseph Coughlin – Forbes –
The recent passing of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa reveals a profound truth about our current approach to later life. Their deaths—occurring days apart and discovered only by chance—serve as a stark reminder that our current conception of retirement planning is dangerously incomplete.
By nearly any standard, Hackman, a celebrated two-time Oscar winner, had achieved what most would consider success and presumably retirement financial security. Yet, at age 95 and suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s disease, he was unable to respond when his 65-year-old wife reportedly succumbed to a virus in their New Mexico home. For approximately a week, he continued alone until his death—only discovered much later by a maintenance worker.
