The alarm doesn’t go off.
Your sleep-monitoring bed has already adjusted your wake-up time based on your biometrics and calendar.
It’s 2035, and you’ve tapped your matured retirement target date fund. You officially made it.
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You and other Gen Xers now fill the ranks of the newly retired, with millions reaching their 60s and 70s. You’ve lived through the analog-to-digital shift, lawn darts and no seatbelts, the rise of remote everything, and the reshaping of work and wealth. So it makes sense that retirement today looks nothing like it did for your parents.
You’re not grabbing a newspaper or checking your mailbox. You’re scanning your health stats, checking in with your smart home and starting a new kind of routine that’s guided as much by technology as by choice. From health care to housing to how you meet with your financial adviser, so much has changed.
But as you stretch out, take a deep breath and begin your first day of retirement, one thing still matters most: how you choose to spend it.
And today is an important one. You’ve got a meeting at noon that you’ve been waiting years for.
So, don’t be late.
Retirement in 2035 is active and fluid
You reach across the bed only to find it empty.
Then you remember, your spouse is already out the door. Retired, yes, but working.
Welcome to modern retirement, where the line between “working” and “retired” is blurrier than ever. In 2025, around 11 million Americans over age 65 were in the workforce. And that number is expected to nearly double by 2035, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Some are working out of necessity, thanks to longer lifespans, rising costs and delayed access to full Social Security benefits. But many are working by choice, spurred by better health and technology.
Down the block, one of your neighbors is launching a YouTube channel. Another is consulting part-time through a talent marketplace. A third is planning a “mini-retirement” overseas — six months off, then back to part-time gigging with clients she loves.
The quiet makes you wonder: Maybe now’s the time to start that business you’ve been daydreaming about. You won’t be the only one. As of 2023, it was reported that nearly a third of new founders were 45+ years old.
It’s all part of the evolving idea of phased retirement: flexible schedules, sabbaticals and encore careers. AI tools and online platforms have made lifelong learning and re-skilling easier.
Then you hear a familiar, though still slightly odd, voice calling you.
Time to get moving.
Technology transforms ‘aging in place’ to ‘thriving in place’ (wherever that is)
You’re alone, but these days, never really on your own.
Your AI companion glides into the kitchen as the blinds adjust to the morning light. It queues up the news: the Detroit Lions win the Super Bowl, Congress debates robot voting rights and Taylor Swift drops her 18th re-recorded album, 1989 (Revisited, Again).
“Off,” you say, maybe a bit too harshly. You catch yourself. One day, this thing might be caring for you more than you care to admit. Better stay on its good side.
By 2035, technology isn’t just something you use, it’s something you live in. It anticipates needs, adapts to moods and helps you age with dignity and independence.
Your home is more than smart; it’s supportive. Embedded sensors track your blood pressure, glucose levels and gait. Smart flooring detects falls before they happen. The fridge restocks itself via drone deliveries. Lighting and furniture adjust to your movements and memory patterns.
With one in three U.S. households over age 65 by then, a $120 billion “smart aging” market has made formerly high-end tech widely accessible.
But your physical address might change.
Even back in 2023, Census Bureau data showed the fastest-growing group of renters is those 55 and older. And it wasn’t just to downsize, but also to gain more freedom. The freedom to travel more easily, relocate or simply enjoy a lifestyle with fewer responsibilities.
You’ve been toying with the idea of eventually joining one of those new third-act communities — intergenerational campuses with coworking spaces, walking trails, on-site clinics and even continuing education programs. Maybe even a shared garden or VR travel room.
Loneliness, once dismissed as just a side effect of aging, is now treated as a public health threat. So, connectivity is built into infrastructure, both social and digital. Voice assistants remind you of appointments, AI tutors help you learn new skills and virtual reality transports you to family reunions or bucket-list destinations without stepping outside.
You check your calendar. It’s time to schedule that wellness screening. No need to call a doctor. Your AI assistant already knows and begins coordinating with your provider. You nod in appreciation.
This isn’t the kind of aging your parents knew. This is thriving in place, wherever that place may be.
But not everyone is ready to move on.
The nest isn’t empty (yet)
You step into the kitchen and see the evidence: a half-eaten sandwich, dirty dishes in the sink, someone else’s phone charging on the counter.
One of your adult children is still here.
So much has changed in the world, but some things, like “boomerang kids,” haven’t.
It’s not just your family. Across the country, the housing squeeze hasn’t let up. In fact, McKinsey projected that by 2035, the U.S. would face a shortfall of nearly 10 million homes.
For many young adults, rising home prices, rent inflation, student debt and a fast-changing job market have delayed major milestones like homeownership.
Still, this phase might not last forever. Your child is freelancing for companies across three time zones, building savings and talking about moving out … eventually. By then, maybe you’ll be ready to relocate.
For now, it’s one more reminder: your retirement isn’t just about you. It’s about how the whole family adapts together.
Healthcare happens at home — before you’re even sick
You never liked waiting rooms, and in 2035, you don’t have to.
With a soft chime from your AI companion, your vitals have been pre-screened while you slept. Heart rate, glucose levels, sleep quality — all logged and analyzed. A gentle voice lets you know your health metrics are looking good today. If something had been off, an appointment would’ve already been booked. Likely virtual, maybe with a human, maybe not.
Healthcare no longer waits for symptoms. It’s proactive, predictive and personalized. Predictive AI engines monitor your biometrics around the clock and flag early warning signs before you feel a thing.
Your AI health assistant runs a diagnostic scan, sends data to your doctor and you consult via hologram or VR. Physical visits are rare, and when needed, robotic transport or mobile care units can come to you.
Meanwhile, GLP-1s and gene therapies aren’t just managing chronic conditions; they’re extending your healthy years.
You even know your “digital twin” better than your doctor. This AI avatar simulates how different lifestyle changes — like cutting carbs, adding magnesium, or walking 10% more — might impact your long-term health before you make them.
And when you’re sick, medication is precision-matched to your genome and daily habits. No more trial and error.
This level of treatment is now applied to mental health care, too. Loneliness, for instance, is now tracked like blood pressure. Your wearables or companion checks in not just on your vitals but your moods. If needed, it prompts you to call a friend, take a walk or schedule a virtual group chat with loved ones.
AI-powered personalized financial planning
After breakfast, you slip on your glasses and the room around you dissolves, replaced by cascading waterfalls, lush mountain valleys and warm coastal air.
“I thought this would be better than the office,” says a familiar voice beside you.
You turn. It’s your financial adviser, or rather their avatar, standing with perfect clarity beneath the sun-dappled sky.
“Do you recognize this?”
You nod. “Portugal.”
Your adviser smiles. “I remember it came up last year during our review. Let’s see how we can make it work.”
Travel and living abroad have long been retirement dreams. Now, they’re fully integrated into your planning software and your plan itself. What used to be a static spreadsheet of numbers has evolved into an almost living, breathing roadmap.
AI-powered tools now deliver real-time, personalized advice, adjusting for market swings, health changes and lifestyle shifts.
Your retirement income strategy adjusts in real time, forecasting tax-efficient withdrawals, optimizing investment allocations and factoring in everything from inflation to your upcoming hiking trip.
Yes, some retirees opt for fully automated AI advisers. But you prefer a human, who hasn’t gone out of style. Most Americans still trust real advisors over AI alone. If anything, they’ve become more important. Their role is behavioral coach meets life planner, working alongside intelligent systems to deliver something algorithms alone can’t: empathy.
Today’s meeting touches on new asset classes, too.
Tokenized real estate and blockchain-backed funds are as common as mutual funds once were. After the deregulation wave of 2025, crypto found a firmer footing in retirement planning. Some experts even forecasted Bitcoin to reach $10 million by 2035.
You discuss the coming inheritance from the passing of your father, which relates to the ongoing great wealth transfer wave, as more than $84 trillion is expected to pass hands by 2045, most from Baby Boomers.
But one thorn remains: Social Security. Like many retirees, you’ve planned with caution, assuming only 75–80% of promised benefits will arrive. Your advisor walks you through backup plans, including delayed filing.
You want to keep going. To explore the Portugal property options. To map out your next “working sabbatical.” But time’s up.
Before you remove your glasses, your adviser sends the itinerary and projections to your virtual dashboard.
“We’ll pick this back up soon,” they say. “Oh, and one more thing: welcome to retirement.”
You nod, smiling. Planning used to be something you did before retirement. Now, it’s something you do with it.
Digital legacies and caregiving tech have transformed family roles
You wonder what your father would think of all this. So, you ask him.
His voice comes through clearly — warm, friendly. It’s not really him, of course. But it’s close. The avatar was built from years of conversations, photos and old family videos. Sometimes you just need to hear him say, “You’re doing great.”
By 2035, family interactions, especially caregiving, have evolved. It’s no longer just about visits and phone calls. Your smart home dashboard alerts you to your mother-in-law’s glucose levels in real time. A quick scan tells you your granddaughter made it home from school. You can’t be everywhere, but now you kind of are.
It’s the future people have been expecting, as one-third of Americans believed AI and robotics would handle their future in-home care.
AI-driven caregiving tech allows retirees to monitor both aging parents and young grandchildren from afar, checking vitals, coordinating medications and even automating grocery deliveries or home repairs.
At the same time, digital legacy tools preserve voices, values and stories, allowing families to interact with AI-generated versions of loved ones. Not just a photo album, but a living memory interface.
Still, despite the clarity of the voice, the expressions, even the laugh… you miss them. The technology soothes, but doesn’t replace.
You close the app. Check the time. One more meeting today, and your AI companion senses the nerves.
“Take the rest of the day off,” you say with a smirk.
You don’t own a car
One thing you don’t miss? A car payment. Or oil changes. Or traffic.
Back in 2015, Elon Musk predicted that once self-driving cars proved safer, human driving might be outlawed. That didn’t happen. But in 2035, robo-taxis are everywhere, and the steering wheel is basically an antique.
Your smart speaker chimes in: “Your shuttle will arrive in five minutes.” You slip on your sandals and head outside.
Mobility is seamless now. You and your friends no longer own cars. Autonomous vehicles are everywhere, bundled into your Medicare Advantage plan or included as perks in your community’s lifestyle package.
A sleek Waymo shuttle glides up. No driver, of course. Inside, you set the temperature, choose the playlist and skim the day’s headlines.
You glance out the window. No one’s behind the wheel. Everyone’s gaming, FaceTiming or reading a book (yes, those still exist).
Self-driving fleets dominate the roads, making human error and traffic jams nearly obsolete… along with insurance premiums.
You lean back. The shuttle takes a smooth turn, on time as always. You’re thankful for that because you’re actually looking forward to this meeting.
The important things will never change
For all the advances — AI, automation, predictive health care — some truths remain constant.
Humans are still social, curious, meaning-seeking creatures. Nothing, not even the most sophisticated technology, replaces the fulfillment of being with people you love or doing things that make life feel rich.
You step out of the shuttle into the warm afternoon sun. The van glides away quietly behind you.
Across the patio, a voice calls out: “It’s about time, newbie!”
Sounds like everyone is here for that important meeting. You laugh. It’s a playful razz from an old friend, already seated with a small crew, drinks in hand, ready to welcome you into this new phase of life. You take your seat, greeted with hugs and knowing smiles.
Yes, your house may be smarter. Your health plan may be predictive. And your financial strategy might now include crypto and digital twins.
But this — gathering over a good meal, sharing old stories, spending quality time with loved ones — is what really matters for a happy retirement.
Lenin once said that there are decades when nothing happens. This decade won’t be one of them.
But whatever changes, the things that matter most never will.
So, you raise your glass.
Cheers.
Now retirement really begins.