Most people seem to struggle with putting themselves into their own shoes decades in the future. It's great to say you'll suffer the consequences of your current choices - if you don't invest. But most people thing manana.

The issue is that all of society pays the price if people don't plan their retirement properly. So it is to an extent the government's business - to look after your effect on everyone else not on yourself.

In Australia and other countries retirement funds are mandatory and automatically taken out of your wages - for better or for worse.