— 2026 Survey Says…
7/10 employees wish they could push a button and let someone else handle retirement.
Ten years ago, only about half felt that way. Your employees aren’t ignoring their retirement savings — they’re overwhelmed by it. That’s exactly where a good advisor can step in and help. Tap any topic below to see what employees are really saying, and what SDP Planning does about it.
%
say their retirement plan affects whether they stay or leave a job
%
say the plan matters a lot to how secure their family feels about money
%
get help from an advisor when making decisions about the plan
Here’s what’s really stressing your employees out
We took six big findings from this year’s survey and explained them in plain, everyday language — no finance degree needed.
1
53%
Most people have no idea how much to save
They’re putting money away, but guessing at whether it’s enough.
More than half of employees (53%) don’t know how much money they need to save to be able to stop working comfortably. Fewer than half feel sure about how much to set aside from each paycheck (48%), or how to guess what their savings will grow into over time (45%). So it’s no shock that 59% think they should probably be saving more — and 63% of people already retired wish they had saved more too.
This isn’t about people not trying hard enough. They just don’t have a clear goal to aim for.
53% Don’t know their savings goals
59% Think they should save more
63% Retirees who wish they’d saved more
Here’s how SDP Planning helps: We set a clear savings goal for each employee based on their age and pay, so “am I saving enough?” gets a real answer instead of a guess.
2
1 in 4
When life gets hard, retirement savings take the hit
People still borrow from or pull money out of their retirement savings, usually because of an emergency.
27% of employees have already borrowed money from their retirement account or taken money out early, and another 19% think they’ll need to someday. Almost half did it to pay for a surprise bill or pay off credit card debt. About 30% of employees have no emergency savings set aside at all — and that group is much more likely to dip into their retirement money (39%, compared to just 23% for people who do have some savings put aside).
Saving for retirement and handling everyday money stress aren’t two separate problems. They’re really the same problem, just showing up at different times in life.
27% Borrowed or withdrew money early
30% Have no emergency savings
39% Dipped in with no emergency savings
Here’s how SDP Planning helps: We pair your retirement plan with everyday money help — including tools for building an emergency fund — so fewer employees have to choose between paying bills today and saving for later.
3
96%
The one thing almost nobody complains about
Being signed up automatically and having savings go up automatically are the two things employees love most.
96% of employees who were automatically signed up for the plan (instead of having to sign up themselves) are happy about it. 97% who had their savings amount automatically go up a little each year feel the same way. These are the two highest satisfaction scores in the whole survey — higher than any investment choice or piece of advice.
But only about half of employees currently get these automatic features. The things that work best are still not being used enough.
96% Happy being automatically signed up
97% Happy with auto savings increases
90% Like the simple, all-in-one fund option
Here’s how SDP Planning helps: We look at how your plan is structured and suggest small changes—such as automatic enrollment or automatic savings increases—that quietly help more employees build good habits without requiring them to do anything.
4
86%
Your youngest employees want more hand-holding
Younger workers want real help, not just a plan they have to figure out alone.
86% of the youngest employees (Gen Z) think their employer should do more to help them save, compared to 61% of the oldest employees (Baby Boomers). They’re almost twice as likely to want help picking what to invest in (70% vs. 35% for Boomers), and more likely to want one-on-one coaching (77% vs. 56%).
Interestingly, 22% of Gen Z already ask AI chatbots like ChatGPT for retirement advice — five times more than Boomers. They clearly want help. The question is whether they get it from someone they can trust or just from the internet.
70% Youngest workers want investing help
35% Older workers want investing help
22% Youngest workers already ask AI instead
Here’s how SDP Planning helps: We tailor our guidance to each generation — meeting your younger employees with the hands-on help they’re currently searching for elsewhere.
5
68%
Retirement rarely happens on schedule
Most people stop working before 65 — sooner than they thought they would.
Only 28% of employees who are still working think they’ll retire before age 65. But 68% of people who already retired actually stopped working before then — and half of all retirees say it happened sooner than they had planned, usually because of health problems, losing a job, or burning out, not because they chose to.
Most employees also picture slowing down little by little. In reality, 75% of retirees stopped working all at once, on one specific day. A plan built around a neat, far-off finish line might be planning for the wrong ending.
28% Expect to retire before 65
68% Actually retired before 65
52% Retired sooner than they’d planned
Here’s how SDP Planning helps: We help make sure your plan still works even when retirement doesn’t go as planned — including sudden, early retirements, not just the neat, on-time version everyone hopes for.
6
91%
The big new fear: outliving your money
Employees don’t just want to save money. They want to know it won’t run out.
76% of employees worry about turning their savings into a steady paycheck that lasts for the rest of their life, and only 35% believe Social Security checks alone will cover their everyday bills. Because of that, 91% say they’d like the option, right inside their plan, to turn part of their savings into a guaranteed paycheck every month for life.
What they want most from an option like that is guaranteed income for life, protection if the stock market declines, and the freedom to change their mind later if their circumstances change.
76% Worried their money won’t last
35% Think Social Security will be enough
91% Want a guaranteed paycheck-for-life option
Here’s how SDP Planning helps: We help employers decide whether a guaranteed paycheck-for-life option belongs in their plan, so employees can keep their savings invested with confidence instead of cashing everything out at retirement.
Your employees already told us what they need. Let’s give it to them.
This survey shows exactly where your retirement plan could do more. SDP Planning helps you turn these ideas into real, simple changes your employees will actually notice — this quarter, not someday.
LICENSE DISCLOSURE
Investment Advisory Services offered through Investment Advisor Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA (www. finra.org) and SIPC (www.sipc.com), to residents of: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NM, NJ, NY, NV, OH, NY, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY. Cambridge and Slate, Disharoon, Parrish & Associates, LLC are not affiliated.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
KNOXVILLE
9724 Kingston Pike, Suite 701
Knoxville, TN 37922
(865) 357-7370 Phone
(865) 357-7374 Fax
