Living in Retirement

Key findings from the Schroders 2025 US Retirement Survey on how retired Americans are navigating an array of financial challenges after leaving the workforce:

• Just two in five retirees (40%) believe they have saved enough money for retirement, 27% are unsure, and 33% are convinced they have not accumulated enough savings.

• Nearly half (45%) report their expenses in retirement are higher than they expected, and most (62%) admit they have no idea how long their savings will last.

• The top concerns facing retired Americans are (% at least slightly concerned):

- Inflation lessening the value of assets (92%)

- Higher than expected healthcare costs (86%)

- A major market downturn significantly reducing assets (80%)

- Not knowing how to best generate income and/or draw down assets (71%)

- Outliving assets (70%)

• 84% of retired Americans wish they could better protect their savings from the effects of inflation.

• Retirees report spending an average of 15% of their total monthly income on healthcare costs such as insurance premiums, prescription costs, and out-of-pocket expenses. More than half of all retirees surveyed (58%) said that they expected Medicare to have covered a greater portion of their healthcare expenses.

• One-in-four retired Americans (25%) say they have lost sleep worrying about their financial situation, and 27% spend an hour or more per day worrying about money.

• When asked to describe their financial situation in retirement, results are varied:

- 5% say they are “living the dream”

- 37% are “comfortable”

- 39% are “not great but not bad”

- 16% are “struggling”

- 3% are “living the nightmare”

• Despite the financial challenges and stress impacting many retired Americans, 64% don’t work with a professional financial advisor, and 44% don’t have a plan in place for estimating expenses, determining how much income is needed, and developing an investment strategy to meet their goals

Schroders’ Retirement Study Finds Inflation Taking Toll on Retirees