Retirees tend to underestimate the chances they will live to a ripe
old age. In 1970, the average 65-year-old woman could expect to
make it to 82. Today, a 65-year-old woman survives, on average,
to 85. More than one in five 65-year-olds of either gender will
make it into their nineties. Centenarians, once a rare species, are
becoming downright common.