The “Optimism Gap”: Wall Street’s Latest Spin on America’s Retirement Reality

21/10/2025 6 min
The “Optimism Gap”: Wall Street’s Latest Spin on America’s Retirement Reality

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Episode Synopsis

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Goldman Sachs has coined a new buzzword — the “optimism gap” — to describe Americans who think they’re on track for retirement even as most admit they’ll outlive their savings. But as Chris Markowski explains, the problem isn’t optimism — it’s delusion sold by Wall Street and fueled by unrealistic expectations. In this episode of Watchdog on Wall Street, he breaks down why retirement as we know it is a modern invention, why the math behind pensions and Social Security no longer works, and how facing financial reality — not chasing buzzwords — is the key to real freedom and longevity.