Resignation marks an important chapter in everyone’s lives, filled with both promises and uncertainties that the dream of throwing away the daily hustle and bustle will clash with persistent fears about the future. Retireers often fantasize about traveling, hobbies, and spending more time with their family.
However, reality is that rosy. With predictable income loss, savings, fear of a surge in healthcare costs can reduce you and crush your dreams of fun and relaxation. And the closer you get to retirement, the more difficult this turning point in your life becomes.
Below we explore some common retirement dreams and fears. It helps you stay at night or sleep like a baby.
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First, good news.
Retirement dream
In the entire workforce, the top three retirement dreams of workers are traveling (65%), spending more time with family and friends (57%), and pursuing hobbies (49%). Other wishes and goals include:
Financial freedom and security: You may dream of saving enough to live comfortably without financial stress. Freedom from financial stress allows you to enjoy your time, whether you’re splattering on a cruise or eating with friends.
Read: Resignation Calculator: How much do you need to retire?
According to Charles Schwab’s 2025 Modern Wealth Survey, Americans think it would cost $839,000 to be “financially comfortable.” This is up from the reported $778,000 last year, but down from the $1 million Americans cited in 2023. With more pressure on it, Northwestern Mutual’s 2025 Planning and Progress Survey shows that figure is $1.26 million. Overall, retirees simply long for enough savings to live comfortably, covering essentials and extras.
Travel and Adventure: Retirement also offers time to dive into painting, gardening, golf, volunteering and other interests that bring joy, connection and a sense of accomplishment. Maybe you imagine having nest eggs that can pay back your home, check bucket list destinations, or visit family without work constraints. It’s a reward for decades of savings.
Pursuing Passion and Hobbies: Resignation will continue to engage and enrich you by providing time to learn new skills, such as learning pottery and coaching local youth baseball teams. Hobbies can replace work purpose, boost mental health and develop a community.
Time spent with family and friends: One of the best aspects of retirement is the opportunity to strengthen your bond with your loved one, from holding a family gathering to babysitting your grandchild or reconnecting with an old friend.
Simplifying and Downsizing Life: You dream of moving to a small home or a vibrant retirement community to reduce your important expenses. A simpler lifestyle will allow you to enjoy your time and money, and the community will provide social activities and the prospect of making new friends. You might also imagine a cozy condo near the beach. Take a picture of the community pool for socializing without any garden work.
According to the Transamerica Resignation Survey, almost a third of workers dream of resigning and doing some form of paid work.
17% of unemployed people say they have no dreams of retirement at all.
The fear of retirement
The 11,000 Americans will be 65 years old from 2027 to 2027, but according to the 2025 Resignation Plan Survey, only about half of all Boomers and XER XERS believe they are financially ready to retire when the time comes.
Money shortage: To say that fear of drawing life when saving is the best concern is an understatement, especially those who live longer and healthcare (in 2025, that number averages $315,000 for healthcare for retired couples per fidelity).
The Transamerica Resignation Survey found that 40% of retirees are worried about running out of savings. Inflation and market volatility can erode nest eggs. The future of social security is also uncertain, with potential profit reductions by 2035 without reform. If your 401(k) is dry, you may be concerned about the need to trim your lifestyle or rely on your family. These concerns are realistic, keeping many advance and current retirees at night.
Healthcare costs and health decline: As you grow older, the fear of escalating health costs and losing physical or mental independence can increase the fear of retirement. Chronic conditions, cognitive decline, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease (33%), potential long-term care costs (31%), and reduced independence (30%) were also listed as fears in the TransAmerica Resignation Survey.
Medicare doesn’t cover everything and out-of-pocket costs can rise. Decreased health also threatens the quality of life. Concerns over expensive treatments and diagnosis that fear it will be a burden on loved ones are overwhelming.
Loss of purpose: Leave the workforce can lead to feelings of lack of purpose, especially if your identity is tied to work. A 2025 AARP survey noted that 25% of retirees struggle to find their post-career objectives. Without the structure and social connection from work, you may feel isolated or even irrelevant.
Can’t support your family or leave behind an inheritance: your biggest fear may be that you may wonder if there is enough money left to help your children and grandchildren and leave your inheritance. Unexpected costs can be saved to help give gifts and funding for your grandchildren’s education.
Housing and Lifestyle Costs: Increased housing costs, property taxes, or maintenance costs can bear fixed income. Redfin’s May 2025 data shows the median US home prices of $440,892, with some markets having a tricky shrinkage. This means that selling your home can lead to less profits than you would expect, and renting or relocating can be expensive and emotionally exhausting. Lifestyle inflation can also creep up.
How to bridge the gap between dreams and fear
Bridging the gap between retirement dreams and fears involves sternly looking at both the emotional and practical aspects of your future plans. Below are some practical strategies to consider:
Specify your vision for retirement. Having a clear vision of what retirement looks like can reduce the fear you have and provide a clear direction for retirement. Start by writing down some specific goals, such as traveling, spending time with family, or even driving two days a week. Having a vision counters the fear of not knowing what will come first while resigning.
Financial assessment: When treated with finances, uncertainty comes into the backseat. For example, having $70,000 a year and having $30,000 from Social Security is a gap in planning. On the other hand, it’s the same. It helps you to calculate your retirement benefits and forecast costs to deal with the fear of running out of money.
Creating Flexible Financial Plans: Develop savings plans with multiple sources of income, including part-time jobs, rental income, stocks, and pensions that provide security and flexibility. For example, saving $500 per month for 10 years with a 5% return could potentially exceed $75,000. This reduces the fear of unexpected costs by building a buffer.
Consider your health concerns: Medical expenses are a major fear of retirement. However, planning your healthcare expenses can help prevent health problems from shaking your retirement dreams. Remember that Medicare doesn’t cover long-term care. So explore Health Savings Account (HSA), long-term care insurance and invest in your health now.
Discover your retirement lifestyle: Exploring retirement goals can help you refine your dreams and identify gaps such as needing more money to travel but having fewer hobbies. Recognizing your ideal retirement can guarantee that you will be satisfied without fear of losing your purpose. While you are in it, you will strengthen your relationships with your family and friends, so you will not feel isolated at the time of retirement.
Unexpected plan: Surprise preparation now helps reduce the fear of unexpected people. Just to be safe, we will create an emergency fund for a cost of 3-6 months.
Seek expert advice: Talk to a certified financial planner or retirement coach to create a personalized retirement plan. This helps reduce the fear of “make a mistake.”
Connecting fears and dreams
Resignation is a major change in which your worries and hopes can intertwine in everything. Fear of running out of money, losing unexpected healthcare costs or purpose can obscure your dreams of financial freedom, travel, or pursuing your passion. By dealing with these fears with practical strategies such as reaching out to financial professionals, retirees can create a balanced and happy retirement while fostering their aspirations.
