If you need a grim sign of the economic times, well, here it is:

One in five Americans don't think they'll ever retire. Among the people who don't think they'll ever retire, a decisive majority (70%) say that they won't ever retire because they can't or won't be able to afford to retire, versus 19% of people who just don't want to retire…

I'd like to know who this not-insignificant slice of the population is who "just don't want to retire," so I can avoid these strange, unsettling people at all costs.

Unsurprisingly, these concerns are being driven in no small part by Social Security: A majority of as-of-yet unretired workers think the federal program just won't cover their expenses once they're ready to hang up their hats.

That's not crazy. Social Security increasingly looks like it will be insolvent well before many workers retire. There simply aren't enough young workers people paying into the system to keep the cash flow going. The number of Baby Boomers retiring is just draining it.

Notably, one retirement tool — pensions — is falling by the wayside: Fewer than one-third of current workers say they'll use one to retire, while half of current retirees are using one to support themselves.

A little over 40%, meanwhile, believe they will retire between 60-65.