{"id":605649,"date":"2026-07-26T23:24:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T23:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/605649\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T23:24:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T23:24:23","slug":"76-of-american-retirees-have-big-savings-regrets-and-younger-workers-now-plan-to-put-off-retirement-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/605649\/","title":{"rendered":"76% of American retirees have big savings regrets \u2014 and younger workers now plan to put off retirement to avoid them"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sullen<\/a> dionisioc1\/Envato <\/p>\n

American retirees are looking back on their retirement savings experience and, in big numbers, are expressing deep regrets over not saving enough cash for their post-working years. <\/p>\n

That’s the conclusion from a new TIAA study<\/a> that cites 76% of American retirees who regret not starting to save earlier in their lives, while nearly the same amount (71%) wish they’d put away more money overall. The report also cited a “striking gap” between retirement and reality, and that variable can bring severe savings shortages to the table. Regrets were particularly common among younger retirees<\/a>, with the average study respondent saying they left the workforce at age 57. Future retirees, on the other hand, don’t expect to retire until 62. <\/p>\n

Must Read <\/p>\n

“The retirees in this study are sending a clear and urgent message to everyone still in the workforce: what happens today will define the retirement you experience tomorrow,” Surya Kolluri, head of TIAA Institute, said in a statement.<\/a> “A retirement that meets or exceeds expectations requires planning for all the things you enjoy plus the unexpected.” <\/p>\n

##What experts took away from the TIAA study <\/p>\n

The study digs deeper into the psyche of the average U.S. retiree<\/a>, while providing a much-needed list of “red flags” younger retirement savers need to avoid. Here’s a closer look at the most critical of those lessons learned. <\/p>\n

Underestimating retirement savings is a recurring theme <\/p>\n

Multiple factors are in play with U.S. retiree financial regrets, but some are more equal than others, and all fall under insufficient planning, TIAA reported. <\/p>\n

Nearly half (47%) of TIAA survey respondents say they regret not having clear retirement goals<\/a>, while 49% expressed remorse over miscalculating healthcare and long-term care costs<\/a>. Meanwhile, 49% regret not accounting for late working-year financial factors, health issues, career shifts, job loss and caregiving responsibilities. That issue alone resonated deeply with survey responders, with 51% noting they had to leave the workforce for longer than one year due to an unplanned event. <\/p>\n

Retirement savings<\/a> experts say that remorse is all too real, as creating a rigid retirement plan that leaves no room for flexibility is a common misconception many individuals tend to have about saving for their retirement. “Often, savers may plan unemployment around a specific age they’d like to retire, when in reality, predicting the twists and turns of life is nearly impossible,” Brianna Rodgers, director of investor education at Madison Trust Company, told Moneywise. <\/p>\n

Unexpected events like a health crisis, family obligations or a job loss can force you into retiring sooner than you’d originally planned. “Shape your retirement plan around various retiring possibilities to help make transitions easier in the event you’ll need to switch up your retirement timeline and strategy,” Rodgers advised. <\/p>\n

Get creative with long-term savings <\/p>\n

The study also noted the importance of being forward-thinking and innovative with retirement savings. <\/p>\n

That’s particularly true when assuming you’ll be able to simply work longer or later in life, as many retirees apparently assume, based on the TIAA study. After all, good health is never guaranteed, nor is maintaining or finding new work. Instead, younger generations may consider shifting their focus to acquiring multiple streams of income, Rodgers noted. <\/p>\n

“This doesn’t necessarily suggest just starting a side hustle,” she said. “Instead, young investors can consider working towards creating a diversified retirement portfolio and investing in assets that have the potential to produce passive income.” Alternative investments like real estate, private lending, and cryptocurrency make good sense for current long-term savers, financial gurus say. <\/p>\n

Read More: <\/strong>Vanguard reveals what’s coming for U.S. stocks \u2014 and it could be bad news for this group of investors<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n

Stay disciplined and keep stacking retirement cash <\/p>\n

Younger workers should take heed from the TIAA study and learn from their elders’ regrets and their mistakes, especially on how older Americans approached savings in their career years. <\/p>\n

“It’s important for people to realize that they can’t save their way to a comfortable retirement,” Robert Johnson, professor of finance, Heider College of Business at Creighton University, told Moneywise. “It’s essential they save and invest their way to a comfortable retirement. Financial mistakes begin early in life, and the biggest financial mistake people make is taking too little risk, not too much risk.” <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, too many current retirees allocate long-term savings to money market accounts or low-risk bonds, instead of taking the long view and investing in the stock market. <\/p>\n

According to data<\/a> compiled by Ibbotson Associates, large capitalization stocks (think S&P 500) returned 10.5% compounded annually from 1926-2025. Over that same time period, long-term government bonds returned 5.0% annually, and Treasury bills returned 3.3% annually. <\/p>\n

“The surest way to build wealth over long time horizons is to invest in a diversified portfolio of common stocks,” Johnson advised. <\/p>\n

Someone with a long-time horizon \u2014 and people in their 30s have a long time horizon \u2014 “should not have exposure to money market instruments, yet many investors do because they fear the volatility of the stock market,” Johnson added. <\/p>\n

What separates the prepared from retirees with regrets <\/p>\n

One big factor that accelerates retirement savings is working closely with a trusted financial advisor, a lament also noted by retirees who tend to under-save for their golden years. <\/p>\n

Data from Vanguard<\/a> shows that advisors can add up to about 3% annually in net returns, primarily through behavioral coaching, tax strategies, withdrawal planning, disciplined portfolio management, and stock and fund selection. Compounded after 20, 30, or 40 years of annual retirement savings, that figure really adds up. <\/p>\n

Separate data from a 2024 Northwestern Mutual<\/a> report shows U.S. adults who partner with an advisor expect to retire at age 64, two years sooner than Americans who don’t work with an advisor. The same study shows retirement saver\/advisor teams save twice as much money over the long haul as savers with no professional investing help. <\/p>\n

“It’s the oversight of a financial advisor that helps,” Noah Lewis, an associate money manager at Scholar Advising, told Moneywise. <\/p>\n

When you’re younger, workers have a sense of invincibility; they say they’ll figure long-term savings out at some point, and they kick the can down the road. Yet that mindset doesn’t work. <\/p>\n

“We all know the power of compounding and how important it is to start early,” Lewis noted. You might look at the cost of an advisor and say, I don’t know if I need this, but the value of having an actual plan in place instead of guessing makes a lot of sense.” <\/p>\n

Just knowing there’s a second set of eyes, someone who’s seen hundreds or thousands of these plans and knows the mechanics of what makes a good retirement, inspires confidence among retirement investors, and that’s good for their investment portfolios. “That’s what separates prepared people from those who were maybe a little scared to start early or do their due diligence,” Lewis added. <\/p>\n

What To Read Next <\/p>\n

Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise’s best stories and exclusive interviews first \u2014 clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com<\/a> under the title: 76% of American retirees have big savings regrets \u2014 and younger workers now plan to put off retirement to avoid them<\/a> <\/p>\n

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"dionisioc1\/Envato American retirees are looking back on their retirement savings experience and, in big numbers, are expressing deep…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":605650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[177],"tags":[108669,79,18,19,17,234,235,4036,80706,3888,72222],"class_list":["post-605649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-american-retirees","tag-business","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-retirement-savings","tag-robert-johnson","tag-savings","tag-tiaa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116988861853640499","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/605650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}