With prices rising and Social Security nearing a fiscal cliff, millions of working Americans see the retirement goalpost drifting away.
Nearly half of working Americans doubt they will ever be able to fully retire, according to the 2026 Retirement Expectations Survey from Thrivent, the financial services company.
Among the concerns:
- 47% of workers doubt they will be able to retire completely.
- Only 58% of workers think they’ll have enough money to retire on schedule.
- 36% of workers expect to continue earning income in retirement.
"People are looking at retirement more as a transition than a finish line," said Jason Rogoff, a financial adviser at Thrivent, speaking to USA TODAY in August.
The survey, conducted by Ipsos in June, reached more than 2,000 American adults.
Workers fear inflation, AI will hinder their retirement
It comes at a time when American workers are worried about relentless inflation, Social Security shortfalls, conflict in the Middle East and the economic threat posed by artificial
intelligence. More than half of workers surveyed said they fear each of those things will hurt their retirement.
"We’re seeing people look at retirement just a little bit differently than they have in the past," Rogoff said.
The findings may also illustrate a broader lack of retirement confidence among employees, experts said, in an era when Americans are expected to do their own retirement saving, chiefly through IRAs and 401(k)s.
"Retirement is a big math problem," said Robert Brokamp, a senior retirement adviser at The Motley Fool, in an August interview. "And you either have to have a really good tool or a really good expert who can help you nail down the numbers."
More than a third of the workers surveyed for the Thrivent report said they feel they are behind other people their age in saving for retirement. Half of workers said thinking about retirement makes them anxious.
When the survey asked people how much savings they think they will need to retire in comfort, only 23% chose a figure under $1 million.
"The average person doesn’t know what 'enough' is," Brokamp said.
Workers fear they won't have enough money to retire
Many past surveys and studies have shown that American workers are haunted by fears that they won’t have enough money in retirement.
One recent survey put the retirement "magic number" at $1.2 million. Others have ranged higher.
But most Americans have nowhere near that much money saved for retirement. Federal data shows that only around half of Americans have retirement accounts at all.
Retirement saving is less of a problem for the wealthy. Among people in the top 10% by net worth, more than 90% have retirement accounts, and the median balance is $900,000, according to the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances.
"We’ve all heard of the K-shaped economy," Brokamp said. "And I think there’s a K-shaped retirement trajectory."
Fears about retirement savings prompt many people to assume they will keep working more or less forever.
Roughly three-quarters of workers plan to work for pay after they officially retire, according to the 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
Yet only 31% of retirees are actually working, the same survey found.
Returning to the workforce in retirement can be difficult. And many retirees find they can get by on Social Security income and modest savings.
Here are 3 retirement savings tips
The Thrivent report recommends steps workers can take to shore up their retirement goals. Here are three retirement savings tips:
Save something for retirement every year
Many workers save little or nothing for retirement. But even small retirement contributions can compound into large sums, given enough time. In 27 years, for example, a single $1,000 contribution can grow into $15,000, based on past stock market performance.
"We always say that it’s really important to put something away, to have some consistency, even if it’s a little bit," Rogoff said. "Small, consistent retirement contributions will have a very meaningful impact over time."
Consult a retirement planner
Saving for retirement does not require elaborate planning. One rule of thumb says you should aim to save 10% to 15% of your salary in a retirement account and invest the money in broad index funds.
A full retirement plan, however, is far more complex. It needs to account for many different scenarios, covering when you might retire, how long you might live and how the market might perform, among other factors.
"It’s very important to have a plan in place and one that’s adjustable based on the economy," Rogoff said.
A financial adviser can help by running the numbers to determine when you can safely retire and how much you can safely spend in retirement.
If you aren’t ready to hire a human expert, Brokamp said, then consider online retirement planners. Thrivent, AARP, Fidelity, Charles Schwab, Vanguard and many other sites offer planning tools.
"You have so many decisions to make when you retire that you didn’t make when you were working," Brokamp said. "When you work, you’re just saving."
Save for emergencies, too
Saving for emergencies is an important piece of a retirement plan, financial advisers say, because it covers the financial shocks that can stop you from saving for retirement.
The goal is to set aside enough money to cover three to six months of expenses. And that money should be in an accessible account, not a tax-sheltered retirement account, where early withdrawals can incur penalties.
In a 2025 report, Investopedia estimated the average U.S. family should have at least $35,000 in emergency savings. But any amount of savings is better than none.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Half of workers fear they will never fully retire
