San Francisco — October 29, 2025 — Boldin, the financial confidence company, today revealed the results of its retirement fears survey. Of the more than 1,000 financially savvy Americans polled, 66% said that before they had a plan, their retirement fears felt scarier than walking alone in the woods on a dark Halloween night.
The online poll asked Boldin users how they felt before they created a retirement plan, and what they feared the most. Over 67% said that prior to having a plan, their worries surfaced regularly. More than a quarter (27%) said retirement fears “weighed on them quite a bit,” while 40% said that they were “somewhat” worried and 26% were “a little” concerned. Only 3% said they weren’t worried at all.
Specifically, 39% of respondents said running out of money or outliving savings was their greatest fear before they created a retirement plan. Other top worries included not being able to afford their desired lifestyle in retirement (19%), and not knowing how to prepare for future unknowns (17%), such as market volatility, inflation, or economic disruptions.
A Written Plan Reduces Fear and Builds Confidence
The survey found that retirement fears nearly disappear once a plan is in place. The vast majority (96%) said that they were more confident about their future, with 68% feeling “much more confident” and 28% feeling “somewhat more confident” with a written plan. Only 3% said a plan didn’t change their outlook.
When asked about how they feel about retirement today, 46% described themselves as “confident,” 49% as “somewhat confident,” and only 4% as “anxious.” Notably, no Boldin users said they were outright fearful about their financial future.
“We’ve heard from thousands of users that their confidence has increased dramatically once they have a retirement plan in place, and this data supports that sentiment,” said Steve Chen, Founder and CEO of Boldin. “When people build their financial know-how, they gain the clarity to make more informed decisions. At Boldin, we’re on a mission to make financial planning accessible and affordable so anyone can put their fears to rest and retire with confidence.”
Boldin users reported that taking proactive steps helped them feel more secure about retirement. These included running “what-if” and contingency scenarios (66%) and establishing guaranteed income streams such as pensions, Social Security, or annuities (43%). Other responses included becoming debt-free (36%), saving and investing consistently (34%), and seeking professional financial guidance (26%).
Financial Worries Dominate, But Health Concerns Persist
While financial worries top the list of retirement fears, respondents were also concerned about their future mental or physical health. More than half (57%) said financial challenges – such as outliving savings, healthcare costs, or loss of financial control – were their greatest source of anxiety. By comparison, 43% said they were more fearful of non-financial struggles, including declining health, loss of purpose, or social isolation.
The online survey, conducted on October 10, 2025, polled 1,053 Boldin users, achieving a 95% response rate from 1,111 invitations. “Financially savvy Americans” are defined as people who are creating and managing their own financial plan on Boldin.com. To date, more than 350,000 individuals on Boldin are managing their own plans with over $300B in assets, and Boldin users report 94% more in retirement savings than the national average, per an internal survey conducted in June 2023.
