{
  "id": 8654821,
  "title": "Americans say they’re ready for retirement — but most aren’t actually prepared. How to know which camp you belong to",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/americans-say-theyre-ready-for-retirement-but-most-arent-actually",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-19T10:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Finance",
    "slug": "yahoo-finance",
    "url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/articles/americans-ready-retirement-most-aren-100000604.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "If you're planning to retire in 2026, are you feeling confident about it? If yes, do you feel financially prepared for this transition? If your answer is maybe or no to the latter question, you're part of the majority. A survey by Asset Preservation Wealth & Tax found that among 1,000 Americans aged over 55 who are planning to retire in 2026, only 27% felt very financially prepared, while 53% felt somewhat prepared, and 18% felt they were not prepared at all. This lack of financial readiness could be attributed to concerns about running out of money during retirement. The survey revealed that 52% of respondents feared outliving their savings, with other top financial worries including rising living costs, healthcare expenses, and changes in Social Security benefits. When trying to gauge your financial readiness for retirement, consider using various metrics. Some experts suggest saving 10 times your annual income by age 67. Another approach is to use a replacement rate, which is typically between 70% and 80% of your pre-retirement income. To navigate the uncertainties that could affect your retirement plans, consulting a financial planner can be beneficial. They can help stress test your plan against potential scenarios such as market volatility, inflation, health issues, or the need for long-term care. Additionally, they can assist in modeling different retirement scenarios, including housing transitions. Numerous online tools are available to estimate your retirement needs. The Social Security Administration's benefit calculator can assist in factoring in your Social Security benefits into your retirement plan. The Department of Labor's retirement savings worksheet allows you to compare different replacement rates and the amount you need to save to achieve them, including your estimated Social Security benefits. Numerous financial firms, such as Principal, Vanguard, and Prudential, also provide retirement savings calculators.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}