Key Takeaways
- Most retirees’ biggest regrets are not saving enough and not starting to save early; both can impact your finances and overall happiness later in life.
- Starting to save even small amounts early on pays off massively over time, thanks to compounding interest.
- With people living longer and traditional pensions fading from use, saving more than feels comfortable today can make the difference between just getting by and truly enjoying retirement.
Retirement has changed due to longer life spans, shrinking pensions, and rising healthcare costs. What was once a quiet chapter in one’s life now demands a more complex phase of planning and preparation.
Guardian life insurance’s “14th Annual Workplace Benefits” study of 2025 shows the top two retirement regrets for Americans are not saving enough and not starting to save earlier. These regrets don’t just impact bank accounts; they also adversely affect emotional health, life satisfaction, and freedom in retirement.
Retirees who regretted their financial preparation were three times more likely to report low emotional well-being than those who didn’t. The takeaway from this is clear: much of happiness in retirement comes from saving more and starting to save long before retirement starts.
Start Saving Earlier: The Compounding Advantage
Guardian’s data shows that two in five workers and one in five retirees regret how they prepared financially. One of the best ways to avoid that regret is to start saving earlier.
Compounding interest rewards those who invest for long periods of time. The earlier you start saving and investing, the more time your money has to compound and grow. A 25-year-old who invests $200 a month in a retirement account that earns 6% annually will have about $400,000 by the time they’re 65. If the same person started at 35, they’d have roughly half that. And if someone starts at 45, they’d have $93,000.
That extra time matters even more when you consider that many people retire sooner than expected. Guardian found that 70% of retirees left work earlier than planned due to something out of their control, with a third saying it was because of health issues or job loss. So you may not get those extra years to save that you assumed you would.
The Federal Reserve’s “Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2024” report echoed this sentiment, with just 35% of non-retired adults viewing their retirement savings plan as on track. People already feel behind, and the longer you wait, the harder it can be to catch up.
Starting early isn’t about perfection or large contributions; it’s about momentum. Even small, automatic deposits into a 401(k) or IRA build over time. And if your employer offers an employer match, saving at least the amount needed for the match makes a big difference since it’s basically free money.
Moreover, power isn’t just in the growth of your account value, it’s in the habit of saving. Every contribution makes the next one easier. The people who start saving early don’t regret it; those who don’t, almost always do.
Important
Many people focus on the financial side of retirement but fail to take into account purpose. Having hobbies, connections, and a sense of fulfillment also matter in your non-working years.
Save More: Small Increases Make a Big Difference
The other retirement regret is not saving enough. That is an increasingly common issue as life expectancy rises and fewer people have traditional pensions. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the average life expectancy in 2060 will be almost 86.
Combine that with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’s finding that only 15% of private-sector workers have access to a traditional pension plan, and you’ll understand how important personal savings (401(k)s, IRAs, brokerage accounts) now are as sources of retirement income.
With longer life expectancy come higher healthcare costs. Guardian reports that 65-year-olds retiring in 2025 can expect to pay $172,000 on healthcare in retirement, with the average retiree spending 30% of their Social Security income on healthcare. That leaves little room for living well, traveling, helping family, or emergencies.
Tip
To avoid this, save more than you feel you can. Automatic escalation in retirement plans has been shown to significantly improve long-term savings without reducing short-term lifestyle.
For example, increasing your savings rate by 1% each year may seem small, but it will have a large impact on your income in the future without reducing the quality of your life in the present.
The Bottom Line
The two biggest regrets about retirement usually are waiting too long to start saving and saving too little. Both are completely avoidable. Starting early and saving steadily can make a big difference over time, helping you feel more secure and less stressed about the future. A little discipline and consistency now can go a long way toward preventing “I wish I had” moments later on.
