HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? (CONT’D): For many retirees, 80 is the new 65.

A quarter of middle-class Americans — defined as earning between $25,000 and $99,000 annually — say they will “need to work until at least age 80,” according to the annual retirement study by Wells Fargo.

“Another interesting shift in the mindset of Americans is their perception of how much money they need. Three-fourths of respondents said it’s more important to have a specific amount versus a date: $350,000 was the median nest-egg goal, but median retirement savings were only $25,000 dollars,” said Laurie Nordquist, executive vice president of institutional retirement at Wells Fargo.

Money managers will tell you that the driving force behind delayed retirement is the savings gap. The gap is widened by grim economic factors hitting the middle class.

Indeed.