Retirement News & Updates
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Three in Four Workers Fear Retirement Will Be Less Secure Than Their Parents
BlackRock’s 2026 Read on Retirement survey of 1,312 workplace savers finds that 76% believe their generation will have less certainty about retirement income than previous generations — a survey-series high, up from 67% in 2021. Nearly two-thirds worry about outliving their savings, and the data shows broad demand for guaranteed income, active management, and personalized guidance. At the same time, a Morningstar report finds that assets in target-date funds with embedded annuity options grew 70% year over year to $44 billion by the end of the first quarter of 2026 — still less than 1% of the $4.8 trillion target-date universe, but growing fast. Major firms including BlackRock, Vanguard, Fidelity, JPMorgan Asset Management, and TIAA are all expanding annuity-style products within 401(k) plans, responding to what retirement industry leaders describe as a pivotal shift from exploration to execution. A notable gap also emerged: women are 44% less likely than men to adopt guaranteed income solutions despite living longer and facing greater longevity risk.
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The Case Against Annuities Doesn’t Hold Up. Here’s the Research
A working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that most people buy far fewer annuities than economic models suggest they should — and that the common objections used to explain this gap do not hold up under scrutiny. The research examines the standard arguments against annuities: fees, loss of liquidity, bequest motives, and the idea that Social Security already provides enough guaranteed income. It finds that while these objections sound reasonable in the abstract, they apply only to a narrow subset of retirees and require a level of financial sophistication to evaluate that most people do not have. The real barrier to annuity adoption, the paper concludes, is not that the products are unsuitable — it is that the systems and conversations through which people encounter them are poorly designed. Better institutional framing, smarter defaults, and clearer guidance at the point of decision are more likely to close the gap than any amount of financial education delivered in isolation.
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Gen X Is More Anxious About Retirement Than Boomers. Here’s Why.
Global Atlantic’s 2026 Retirement Outlook Survey, which polled 1,011 consumers ages 55 to 75 with $250,000 to $2 million in investable assets and 505 financial professionals, finds that first-wave Gen Xers — those now ages 55 to 60 — are entering the final stretch before retirement with significantly more anxiety than Boomers. Twenty-eight percent of Gen Xers said they are extremely or very concerned about having enough income to last their lifetime, double the rate of Boomers at 14%. Nearly half of Gen Xers anticipated returning to work after retirement due to financial concerns, compared with 21% of Boomers. The survey also reveals that 38% of respondents do not have a specific retirement income plan despite all working with a financial professional — and that 69% of consumers are concerned Social Security will not provide full benefits for the rest of their lives. The findings point to a generation navigating a retirement transition without the pension safety net that many previous retirees relied on, at a moment of elevated healthcare costs and economic uncertainty.
Three in Four Workers Fear Retirement Will Be Less Secure Than Their Parents
BlackRock’s 2026 Read on Retirement survey of 1,312 workplace savers finds that 76% believe their generation will have less certainty about retirement income than previous generations — a survey-series high, up from 67% in 2021. Nearly two-thirds worry about outliving their savings, and the data shows broad demand for guaranteed income, active management, and personalized guidance. At the same time, a Morningstar report finds that assets in target-date funds with embedded annuity options grew 70% year over year to $44 billion by the end of the first quarter of 2026 — still less than 1% of the $4.8 trillion target-date universe, but growing fast. Major firms including BlackRock, Vanguard, Fidelity, JPMorgan Asset Management, and TIAA are all expanding annuity-style products within 401(k) plans, responding to what retirement industry leaders describe as a pivotal shift from exploration to execution. A notable gap also emerged: women are 44% less likely than men to adopt guaranteed income solutions despite living longer and facing greater longevity risk.
The Case Against Annuities Doesn’t Hold Up. Here’s the Research
A working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that most people buy far fewer annuities than economic models suggest they should — and that the common objections used to explain this gap do not hold up under scrutiny. The research examines the standard arguments against annuities: fees, loss of liquidity, bequest motives, and the idea that Social Security already provides enough guaranteed income. It finds that while these objections sound reasonable in the abstract, they apply only to a narrow subset of retirees and require a level of financial sophistication to evaluate that most people do not have. The real barrier to annuity adoption, the paper concludes, is not that the products are unsuitable — it is that the systems and conversations through which people encounter them are poorly designed. Better institutional framing, smarter defaults, and clearer guidance at the point of decision are more likely to close the gap than any amount of financial education delivered in isolation.
Gen X Is More Anxious About Retirement Than Boomers. Here’s Why.
Global Atlantic’s 2026 Retirement Outlook Survey, which polled 1,011 consumers ages 55 to 75 with $250,000 to $2 million in investable assets and 505 financial professionals, finds that first-wave Gen Xers — those now ages 55 to 60 — are entering the final stretch before retirement with significantly more anxiety than Boomers. Twenty-eight percent of Gen Xers said they are extremely or very concerned about having enough income to last their lifetime, double the rate of Boomers at 14%. Nearly half of Gen Xers anticipated returning to work after retirement due to financial concerns, compared with 21% of Boomers. The survey also reveals that 38% of respondents do not have a specific retirement income plan despite all working with a financial professional — and that 69% of consumers are concerned Social Security will not provide full benefits for the rest of their lives. The findings point to a generation navigating a retirement transition without the pension safety net that many previous retirees relied on, at a moment of elevated healthcare costs and economic uncertainty.
AARP: Most Near-Retirees Have No Retirement Income Plan
A new survey published by the AARP Public Policy Institute finds that most adults nearing retirement do not have a specific plan for avoiding running out of money. The study, which sampled 1,422 adults between the ages of 50 and 70 who participate in employer-sponsored defined contribution plans, reveals a significant gap between saving for retirement and planning how to spend it. Respondents showed a strong preference for drawdown strategies that preserve control over their assets, while support for annuities — already modest — declined sharply when product details were explained. Most respondents knew little about annuities to begin with. The findings highlight a persistent education gap in retirement income planning, and suggest that the way guaranteed income products are introduced and explained matters as much as the products themselves.
New Research Finds Annuities May Help Retirees Live Longer
A new academic study examining nearly 600,000 Chilean retirees over nearly two decades finds that annuities substantially reduce mortality — increasing longevity by 2.55% at five years and 3.62% at ten years compared to retirees who chose phased withdrawals. The researchers, affiliated with universities in Chile, Indiana, and Dartmouth, conclude that annuities reduce mortality by shielding retirees from income volatility and investment-related stress. Survey evidence from the study also finds that annuitants invest more in their health and report lower disability rates. Financial advisors familiar with the research say the findings align with what they observe in practice: clients with guaranteed lifetime income sleep better, spend more on health, and experience less financial anxiety than those managing a portfolio through market cycles. The study adds a compelling dimension to the case for guaranteed income — one that goes beyond financial planning and into quality of life.
Lifetime Income Is the Missing Link in Retirement Security
New global research from Prudential Financial and the Global Aging Institute, released at the Spring IMF World Bank Meetings, finds that most retirement systems leave individuals to manage longevity risk largely on their own. The study, which examined retirement systems across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, and Japan, concludes that lifetime income solutions can significantly strengthen retirement security — and may allow countries to deliver equivalent retirement outcomes at approximately 20% lower cost compared to lump-sum distribution models. The research calls for lifetime income to become the default option in employer-sponsored retirement plans, and highlights the efficiency gains that come from pooling longevity risk across a broad population. The findings reinforce a growing body of evidence that the transition from defined benefit to defined contribution retirement systems has left a meaningful income gap for retirees — one that guaranteed income products are uniquely positioned to address.