5 Ways to Build a Retirement You'll Actually Look Forward To

You're Not Imagining It — Retirement Feels Less Certain This Year

If retirement feels a little shakier than it used to, you're in good company. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute's 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey, only 61% of workers now feel confident they'll have enough money to live comfortably in retirement — down 6 percentage points from just a year earlier. Even among retirees, confidence dropped 5 points, to 73%.

Rising costs, Social Security headlines, and market noise are enough to make anyone nervous. But here's the good news: a great retirement isn't really about hitting a magic number. It's about designing a life you're excited to wake up to, and then building the income plan that supports it. Here are five places to start.

1. Define "A Great Retirement" in Your Own Words First

Before you talk numbers, talk about your life. Do you want to travel three months a year, or stay close to grandkids? Keep working part-time doing something you love, or fully step away? Most people skip this step and go straight to spreadsheets — but the spreadsheet should serve the life, not the other way around.

Try this: Write down your ideal Tuesday and your ideal Saturday in retirement. It sounds simple, but it tends to surface what actually matters to you.

2. Separate "Must-Have" Income From "Want-to-Have" Income

One reason retirement confidence is falling is that people lump every expense together and then panic when the market dips. A steadier approach is to split your expenses into two buckets: essentials (housing, food, healthcare, insurance) and lifestyle extras (travel, hobbies, gifts). Then match each bucket to an appropriate income source — steady, predictable income for essentials, and growth-oriented or flexible assets for extras. When your must-haves are covered no matter what the market does, the extras feel a lot less stressful to fund.

3. Front-Load the Big, Physical Adventures

The travel and activities that take stamina — hiking trips, long flights, cross-country road trips — are usually easier in the first decade of retirement than the third. If a big trip is on your list, it often makes sense to plan for it earlier rather than "someday." This is one more reason to know which dollars are earmarked for lifestyle spending versus long-term essentials.

4. Consider a "Bridge" Role, Not Just a Full Stop

Retirement doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. Many of our clients ease into it — consulting, part-time work, or seasonal projects that keep some income and purpose flowing while Social Security and other income sources ramp up. Even a modest bridge income can reduce how much you need to withdraw from savings in those early years.

5. Build an Income Plan, Not Just a Savings Number

"How much do I need?" is the wrong first question. "How much guaranteed income will I have each month, and where is it coming from?" is the better one. A complete retirement income plan typically blends Social Security, any pension, and — for many pre-retirees — a portion of savings converted into a predictable "paycheck" through vehicles like fixed annuities, alongside growth assets managed for the long run. The goal is a plan where your lifestyle doesn't rise and fall with the headlines.

The Takeaway

Confidence in retirement isn't dropping because people are doing something wrong — it's dropping because the plan often stops at "save more" instead of continuing on to "here's exactly how this becomes income." If you'd like a second set of eyes on how your savings could translate into a retirement paycheck, we're happy to walk through it with you — no pressure, just clarity.

Sources: Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey.