It's not about "helping" the retired, that's a different issue in European nations at least, those who need help can fall back on social security which is given independent of what one has paid into the pot. Part of the objectives for compulsory pension schemes is to enable people to retire with dignity, and keep the social security (which is financed from taxes rather than contributions) for those who've come to hardship.Originally Posted by surasak
Historically, compulsory pension schemes were introduced to minimise the damage a capitalist free market would cause to individuals and society - i.e. workers accepting wages designed for survival not for saving for future needs.
Pensions are an entitlement for those who have paid the premiums, and if you have saved and finance housing, medical etc yourself, you'll have a nice reward for a productive working life on top of everything else.