The country may be turning 250 this summer, but many Americans didn't start taking retirement savings seriously until it turned 200.
Before that, pensions and Social Security were the primary means of support in old age, but as both declined or faced financial strain, new mechanisms emerged. From the mid-1970s through today, a lot has changed in how Americans save for retirement. For good reasons: We are living longer, and retirements are stretching on for decades.
