We need to rethink old age, with Martin Wolf

Life and Art from FT Weekend

Imagine a world in which the typical life arc isn’t one of studying for 20 years, working for 40 years, then sitting retired and lonely for 35. As people live longer than ever, our chief economics columnist Martin Wolf worries that this approach to old age is unsustainable and unaffordable. He thinks we can and should do better. Martin is one of the world’s most respected writers on economics and politics, and at 77, he’s a prime example of staying active later in life. Today, he joins Lilah to discuss what we can do to age better, individually and as societies.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at [e-mail]. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Martin’s column, ‘Increased longevity will bring profound social change’: https://on.ft.com/4aX6FTg

– His column on falling fertility rates, ‘From the baby boom to the baby bust’: https://on.ft.com/4ejtxip

– Our earlier episode, ‘Martin Wolf on how to change one’s mind’.

– Martin’s podcast series ‘Democracy in Peril’ is available now via the FT News Briefing feed. Click here for the latest episode, or search ‘Martin Wolf series’ wherever you listen

– Lilah and Martin refer to Andrew Scott’s book The Longevity Imperative

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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