Before the swindle -- A fix for what wasn't broken -- Army tanks and think tanks -- Targeting social security and public worker pensions -- How 401(k)s are supposed to work and why they don't -- A model unravels -- Turmoil in the land of steady habits -- What we can do.;Each generation of workers since the nineteenth century has had more retirement security than the previous generation. That is, until 1981, when shaky 401(k) plans began replacing traditional pensions. Now, tens of millions of Americans are discovering that they would have been better off under traditional pension plans long since replaced. Russell tells the story of a massive and international retirement robbery-- a substantial transfer of wealth from everyday workers to Wall Street financiers via tremendously costly hidden fees.;A critical assessment of today's 401(k)s traces the system's history while arguing that the Wall Street-enforced replacement of traditional pensions with 401(k) investments is failing to provide security-level income. --Publisher's description.