In my role as CEO of Aegon, I am often confronted with heartbreaking stories about people who are inadequately prepared for retirement. Many of these stories are about people who were caught off guard by life’s unforeseen circumstances and expectations of social safety nets that no longer exist.

To unleash productivity, innovation, and growth in the 21st century, we must realign discussions about the future of work to recognise the importance of aging and longevity – unprecedented, accelerating trends that are reshaping economies, societies and individual lives around the globe.

Your editorial “Japan’s Immigration Harbinger” (Dec. 6) correctly underscores the profound and potentially huge shift in Japan’s immigration policy to address “an aging society and [the related] labor shortage.”

Along with parenting, balancing work and caring for older family members will become a central struggle for Americans over the next several decades. Many of these people are your employees, or will be.

As the global population ages, new consumer opportunities and markets will emerge. Every company should have a strategy for tapping into the needs, wants, and buying power of older customers.