{
  "id": 13572141,
  "title": "MONEY THOUGHTS: Life is like a piece of string",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/money-thoughts-life-is-like-a-piece-of-string",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-10T23:01:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/sunday-vibes/2026/10/1552631/money-thoughts-life-piece-string"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The future of Malaysia hinges on how its people adapt to two significant demographic shifts: longer lifespans and fewer births. As life expectancies rise, so do calls to extend the retirement age from the current 60 years. However, Malaysians should take the initiative to build their personal retirement funds, as only about 90% of the workforce qualifies for government pensions. The author likens life to a string, illustrating that longer working years create more time for retirement funding. With fertility rates falling, particularly in Malaysia, the country must adjust its official retirement age to 65 by 2035 and 70 by 2050. This adjustment will ensure a healthy balance between the available skilled workforce and the jobs required for Malaysia's future industrialization.",
  "summary": "I HAVE had a series of conversations recently revolving around the need for Malaysians to act rationally in light of two major demographic trends:",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}