collage of head shots of various ages and demographics of people looking down and frowning (Photo: Shutterstock)

In the film Nomadland, older Americans roam the western U.S. in campers in search of work and a cheap place to live. One woman, one of the many actual retirees featured in the film, expresses shock that her Social Security benefits weren't enough to live on, despite her having worked "since I was 12."

Could she and others save in a personal IRA? If they had the discretionary funds to do so, maybe. But when you're living one paycheck away from disaster, there's no opportunity to put life on hold so you can play catch-up and start to save.

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C.J. Marwitz

C.J. Marwitz is a writer and editor.

Chris Nicholls

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