Seniors’ incomes are flexible now

The stereotype that retirees live on immutable, nominal 'fixed incomes' is outdated: modern seniors hold indexed Social Security, more equities and housing wealth, and other instruments that make their incomes respond to market and policy changes. That means inflation and wage bargaining affect many older households differently than the mid‑20th‑century model implied. — This reframing should shift policy and political arguments about who inflation hurts, how to design cost‑of‑living protections, and whether age‑targeted bailouts or price controls are the right tools.