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Americans say they’re ready for retirement — but most aren’t actually prepared. How to know which camp you belong to

Rebecca Payne

Sat, September 19, 2026 at 1:00 PM GMT+3 4 min read

If you are planning to retire next year, do you feel ready? If you answered yes, do you feel financially prepared to do so? If you answered maybe or no to the second question, you're likely in the majority.

That was the finding of a survey by Asset Preservation Wealth & Tax of 1,000 Americans who are over 55 and planning to retire in 2026.

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So, what is the difference between feeling ready and being prepared? And what is making Americans feel less confident regarding their financial readiness?

Retirement readiness

When asked if they would retire in 2026 as planned, 60% of the survey respondents said they were very confident they would do so.

But when asked about financial preparedness, only 27% of respondents said they felt very financially prepared; 53% said they felt "somewhat prepared," and 18%, nearly one in five, said that they felt "not very or not prepared at all."

These feelings could be due to worries about running out of money in retirement. The survey found that 52% of respondents had fears about outliving their savings.

Other top financial concerns of those surveyed included the rising cost of living, rising health care costs and Social Security changes.

A different survey, conducted by Principal Financial Group in 2025, found that while 54% of Americans said they thought their financial situations would improve over their lives, the same percentage said they worried about running out of savings during retirement.

That survey didn't just target individuals who were at retirement age, but those who identified as "household financial decision makers." Of those surveyed who were Gen X, 70% said they didn't believe their retirement savings were sufficient, with 50% of baby boomers saying the same.

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Are you prepared?

There are many metrics you can use to calculate your financial readiness for retirement.

You can base what you'll need saved on your annual income; some experts recommend saving 10 times your income by the age of 67.

Another way to calculate how much you'll need over the course of your retirement is to use a replacement rate, a percentage of your pre-retirement income that will sustain your lifestyle, commonly between 70% and 80% of your pre-retirement income.

When it comes to big unknowns that could impact your financial plans for retirement, it may be helpful to consult a financial planner.

Working with a financial planner, you can stress test your plan against different scenarios that you could face in retirement: market downturns, inflation, a health episode or the need to enter long term care.

You can also model scenarios related to your housing situation as your retirement progresses. While selling a primary residence and downsizing is often part of retirement planning, many pre-retirees may not actually have concrete plans about what this process will look like, when it will occur, and most importantly, what the costs will be.

There are many online tools you can use to estimate how much you'll need to finance your retirement.

The Social Security Administration's benefit calculator can help you factor in your Social Security benefits to your overall plan.

The Department of Labor's retirement savings worksheet lets you compare different replacement rates and how much you'll need to save to hit them. It also includes your estimated Social Security benefits.

Financial firms also offer retirement savings calculators, including Principal, Vanguard and Prudential.

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This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: Americans say they're ready for retirement — but most aren't actually prepared. How to know which camp you belong to

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.