For many Americans, retirement is not financially careless and easy. In fact, according to a 2025 US retirement survey in the United States, 19% of pensioners “fight” or “live in nightmare”, while only 5% said they “live the dream”. Unfortunately for pensioners, the time to start saving early and strategic planning is in the mirror. However, for those with a decade or more left in the workforce, understanding the challenges of today’s pensioners and how best to prepare for them, it can mean the difference between the living of the dream and the living of the nightmare.
Given this, let’s take a look at some lessons that can be learned from those who have already retired.
1) You probably don’t save enough
According to our research, less than half of all retired Americans (40%) believe they have saved enough for retirement, and 45% say their costs are higher than projected.
At any age, retirement savings can be a challenge.
In your 20th and 30s, you will probably face a series of competitive financial priorities that include a student loan debt, car payments and a house saving. It is also tempting to succumb to delay, knowing that you may be 30 or 40 years old you will be able to retire.
When you reach the 40s and 50s, competing financial commitments do not disappear, they develop. Instead of paying your student loans, you feel like paying tuition fees for college for your children. Instead of saving a house, making a monthly mortgage payments or paying unexpected repair bills for roof leaks or water heater.
Thanks to the power to unite over time, the sooner you prioritize retirement, the more likely you are to save enough to manage your costs after leaving the workforce. This is especially important for millions of Americans depending on the plans of 401K as their primary source of income during retirement.
2) Expect unexpected
In 1980, the inflation rate in the United States reached 14.7%. In 2022, it reached 9%, and today it is 2.3%.
Where the inflation rate will be when you are ready to retire, it is unknown and uncontrollable. Similarly, stocks may be in the middle of the historic bull market when you are ready to leave the workforce or your portfolio can adversely affect the bear market.
Given the unexpected nature of these events, it is not surprising that our research has revealed that the first three concerns that torment retired Americans in 2025 are inflation (92%of pensioners are at least slightly worried), increasing health care costs (85%) and the potential for a major market drop (80%).
Although these problems can be immediate and unpredictable, they should not decline safe retirement if you remain focused on the variables in your control. Your monthly saving rate, participating in a retirement saving plan, such as 401K, your diversification strategy, and the age you plan to retire are all the key factors in your retirement planning that are in your control.
Creating good financial habits and making healthy decisions about factors within your control will help you put on the way to comfortable retirement despite short -term market changes or inflation rate.
3) Winging won’t take you there
For many decades, traditional retirement plans have provided the workers a security network that, when combined with the benefits of social security, have helped provide comfortable retirement. But times have changed because pensions have become a remnant of the past for most private sector employees.
Changing from traditional pensions (known as plans for defined benefits) in defined plans for contribution retirement has set responsibility for retirement and employee planning. Despite the challenges related to discovering when to retire, as well as when to seek social security or how to generate stable income after leaving the workforce, many people do not work with a financial advisor and do not have a plan to manage their costs and pension funds.
According to our latest study, 64% of retired Americans do not work with a financial adviser and 44% have no cost assessment plan, determining how much revenue and development of an investment strategy are needed to meet their goals.
Given this lack of support and planning, it may not be surprising that most retirees (62%) say they have no idea how long their savings will last.
Although not everyone should maintain an ongoing relationship with a financial advisor, there is no doubt that someone preparing for a pension may benefit from looking for guidance on how to improve their financial well -being and increase their income once they stop working.
Retirement security does not happen by accident – it requires planning and discipline. Although it is easy to delay the savings or assume that social security will be enough, our research image a different image. With the increase in costs, unpredictable markets and less guaranteed sources of income such as pensions, the pension planning burden is now falling on individuals. Fortunately, by taking control of the variables, you can manage – your savings rate, investment strategy and financial planning – your dreams of retirement can be within reach.
It’s never too early – or too late – start making financial decisions that will pay dividends in the coming years.
Opinions expressed in Fortune.com’s comments are only views of their authors and do not have to reflect the opinions and beliefs of Wealth.
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