NFP: 72% of Employees Are Unprepared for Retirement

NFP, an Aon company, has released its 2026 US Retirement Trend report. 

The research, based on a survey of 1,000 US working adults, finds that 69% of US workers are unsure that they can retire comfortably – despite 89% trusting employer-provided financial advisors. 

According to the company, these findings suggest that, while employees value financial guidance, many are not taking action – with rising financial pressures making retirement planning more challenging. 

“Employer-provided financial advisors play a central role in how American workers approach retirement planning,” says Jessica Espinoza, National Practice Leader, Retirement Advisory, NFP. “One-on-one guidance is especially effective in helping employees navigate complex decisions, build confidence and turn intention into action, but too many employees aren't taking the necessary first step.”

Financial anxiety among employees

There are several factors holding employees back from long-term financial planning. 

With financial stress rising and many employees facing concerns around job security, the percentage of employees not on track for retirement has risen from 68% in 2025 to 72% in 2026. 

In fact, nearly half (46%) of respondents say that they are either deprioritising or unable to save for retirement due to expenses such as housing, car payments and healthcare taking priority. 

This financial stress can have a direct impact on workplace productivity and damage employee retention, says Laura Noble, Head of Employer Success at Octopus Money. 

“Retention is no longer just about salary,” she told HR Chief Magazine. “Employees are increasingly making career decisions based on the quality of support they feel they receive, and financial wellbeing is becoming a deciding factor in where people choose to stay.”

Increasing awareness of financial support

Employers who can offer financial support that employees engage with see a clear impact, the research finds. Nearly a third of employees say that one-on-one meetings with financial professionals, for instance, are a helpful retirement planning resource, and are consistently rated more helpful than other available resources. 

But employees are often unaware of the employer-sponsored resources available to them. Only 42% of employees reported that they were aware of these services within their organisation, while just 34% said they knew how to use them. 

“Even when resources are available, limited awareness and understanding are leading to inconsistent engagement, leaving many employees without the support needed to make meaningful progress,” says Jessica. 

When employees do understand the resources available to them and can connect with personalised financial guidance, participation in these programmes increases. 

“What we see consistently is that employees who engage with a financial professional, even once, make more confident decisions going forward,” says Stephen Jans, National Practice Leader, Wealth Management at NFP. “That first conversation often changes how employees approach their financial future.”

According to NFP, organisations should move beyond just offering retirement benefits to taking a more active role in encouraging employees to actually use these resources – making personalised guidance more accessible and reducing any friction in connecting employees with financial advisors. 

“The path to better retirement outcomes already exists inside most organisations; it just needs a clearer on-ramp,” says Jessica. “When employees know who to talk to and how this conversation can help, a better financial future becomes more achievable.”