Overview
- Schroders' 2026 US Retirement Survey shows a large share of savers carry credit card balances that exceed their retirement account totals, signaling short-term debt is crowding out long-term saving.
- About half of workplace plan contributors are on track for less than $500,000 at retirement while many say they need roughly $1.2 million to be comfortable, creating a wide gap between expectations and likely outcomes.
- Respondents reported holding roughly one-quarter of retirement assets in cash and only 27% in equities, a mix that experts say lowers long-term growth for those not near retirement.
- Nearly 3 in 10 people said they cut their workplace retirement contributions in the past two years and advisors warn that unplanned large withdrawals can rapidly deplete even sizable nest eggs.
- Rising living and health costs, longer lifespans and anxiety about future benefits are driving these behaviors and experts urge personalized spending audits, multi-year cash cushions and stepped-up contributions to close the shortfall.