How to retire with confidence: what successful retirees know

Financial Newswire Contributor

15 March 2026

By Sean McCormack, Chief Commercial Officer, Acenda Group

Australians who feel most confident about their retirement tend to share a few defining behaviours, regardless of their income level or account balance.

While fear of running out of money remains widespread, the people who are traversing retirement with a sense of calm, clarity and control are successfully navigating three factors.

1. They understand their risks

Confident retirees understand the risks that could disrupt their retirement and take steps to manage them.

At Acenda Life, we see five common risks shaping retirement outcomes: living longer than expected, the impact of market volatility and fluctuating interest rates on savings, rising living costs, and an over‑reliance on the Age Pension, which may not be sufficient to support a client’s desired lifestyle in retirement.

These concerns are not hypothetical. Australians are living longer, often into their mid-90s; market downturns can permanently reduce retirement income; and inflation is reshaping what retirees believe they need to live comfortably.

Our latest research with CoreData shows 40% of pre-retirees fear running out of money, while 87% don’t believe the Age Pension will be enough on its own‑.

Experience shows people who feel most confident are the ones who build a plan that accounts for these risks rather than hoping to avoid them.

2. They seek advice

Perhaps the strongest predictor of retirement confidence is whether someone has access to financial advice. Australians who work with a financial adviser are up to 70% more likely to understand their retirement needs (CoreData Best Possible Retirement 2025 study).

The findings show that only one-third of Australians aged 45+ feel connected to their financial future, fewer than half (41%) understand how to reach their retirement goals, and only one in ten feel financially comfortable all the time.

This confidence gap can only shrink when people receive guidance that turns uncertainty into a clear, personalised roadmap.

Advice is particularly powerful in the transition from saving to spending, when retirees must make decisions about drawdowns, income sustainability, aged care‑ needs and how to manage market shifts. It makes sense that the most confident retirees are those who aren’t trying to make these decisions alone.

3. They secure their essentials with stable, predictable income

One of the clearest insights from our research is that Australians aren’t necessarily looking for maximum returns. They’re looking for certainty. In fact, 63% of Australians aged 45+ say income certainty is their top priority.

Retirees with the highest confidence tend to build their income around a stable base:

• the Age Pension (if eligible),
• a guaranteed income stream to cover essential expenses, and
• market-‑linked assets for lifestyle and flexibility.

This “layered” strategy lets retirees lock in what they need for life, freeing them to use their remaining savings for what they want. It’s a simple structure that reduces anxiety and encourages more confident spending.

Confidence is a personality trait and it’s a strategy

People who enjoy confident retirements aren’t just lucky. They’re advised, informed, supported and anchored by predictable income that removes the fear of the unknown. A long confident life will feel very different when essentials are guaranteed.

Lifestream Guaranteed Income for Advisers | Lifetime Annuity | Acenda

Acenda recently launched our Lifetime Guaranteed Income product for retirees seeking to secure an income stream to cover essential expenses over their lifetime. Lifestream Guaranteed Income is issued by Resolution Life Australasia Limited and brought to market under the Acenda Life brand.

Data and insights unless otherwise stated are from research commissioned by Resolution Life Australasia Limited (ABN 84 079 300 379, part of the Acenda Group) and prepared by CoreData Research on retirement income, June 2025.