RETIREMENT PLANNING SURVEY

Clients worry about outliving their savings. But retirement is about more than that. By Jacqueline Sergeant

“ Obviously when you got the assets, it’ s a good time to go,” says Robert Laura, founder of the Wealth & Wellness Group and the Retirement Coaches Association. However, he cautions that though people feel good when they see their portfolios go up and the markets are at an all-time high, they should be mindful that the markets also go down. The possibility of sequence risk— or encountering a bear market in equities in the first few years of retirement— can complicate plans for people who aren’ t prepared.

Asked if now is a bad time to retire, 91 % of advisors in a recent survey by Financial Advisor said it wasn’ t, despite the current environment in which stock prices are at record highs. But to be clear, these advisors typically work with a segment of the population that’ s well-off, Laura points out.“ So, it’ s not surprising that advisors who are seeing their clients’ million-dollar portfolio go up would feel that way.”

It’ s worth noting that only 41 % of Americans use a financial advisor, according to a Northwestern Mutual study. And some believe that figure is high.

The 2025 Financial Advisor Retirement Planning Survey, which surveyed 565 advisors, 65 % of whom have been in business more than 20 years, found that nearly a third of clients have saved between $ 500,000 and $ 1 million, while 28 % have saved between $ 1 million and $ 2 million. Another 16.5 % have saved between $ 2.1 million and $ 5 million, and 3.3 % have accumulated more than $ 5 million in savings.

Still, many clients are haunted by lingering fears of outliving their savings. Some 36 % cite this as their top concern in retirement, followed by 29 % who worry about not being able to generate a reliable income stream. Advisors also cite both concerns among their top threats to clients in retirement.

42 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2025 WWW. FA-MAG. COM