[em-bee]

do you expect not to get any pension at all and just live on your own savings? do you live on a farm growing your own food?

you can't live in this society without relying on others, and they can't live without relying on you. and unless you want humanity to die out, future generations need our support.

[singleshot_]

This is more of a "100% certain" situation than an "expect" situation. Are you mixing pensions up with 401ks and social security?

[em-bee]

i was using it as a general term for whatever money you receive after you retire except personal investments or savings. i could not find out how 401ks work, specifically i did not find out whether 401k works like any other pension scheme or not. the wikipedia page on pensions does not say that 401k is not a pension, therefore i figure it is included in the definition.

i just checked the 401k page, and it says: a 401(k) plan is an employer-sponsored, defined-contribution, personal pension (savings) account.

so it's a pension.

but what we call it doesn't really matter. more important is the question if the payout depends on future generations paying in. in my brief search i could not tell whether the 401k is protected against that or if it even can be protected. but if it is i'll have to retract my claim. my apologies.