Commentary  Despite the largest bull market in history, 80 percent of Americans struggle with their finances and are unprepared for retirement. Such a reality is a stark difference from the belief that rising asset prices benefit the masses. A year after the COVID-19 pandemic struck the U.S. economy, more than 80 percent of Americans surveyed stated the events affected their retirement plans (pdf). One-third of the more than 1,200 financial decision-makers said it would take them two to three years to get back on track. Such was due to factors like job loss or withdrawals from retirement savings. Another study (pdf) from the National Council For Aging also shows rising financial risks for American households. “Our July 2021 updated analysis revealed that most older Americans have made little to no progress toward financial security. As in 2016, our analysis of 2018 data finds that 80%—or 47 million households with older adults—are financially struggling today or …