Retirement Anxiety Is Real—Here’s How to Calm It and Protect Your Nest Egg

Head of Wealth Planning, Victoria Bogner, goes over retirement anxiety and how to protect your future.

Retirement should be a time to finally exhale. To stop living by the calendar, to say “yes” to travel, hobbies, and time with the people you love. But if you’ve been watching the markets lately (or opening your statement with one eye shut) you may be feeling something else entirely: anxiety.

You’re not alone.

Many retirees and soon-to-be retirees are worried. About inflation. About market volatility. About whether their money will last 20, 30, even 40 years. That’s valid, and it’s smart to care. But the good news? With the right strategy and guidance, this doesn’t have to keep you up at night.

Let’s walk through what’s really happening, and what you can do right now to protect your future.

Why Retirement Feels Riskier Right Now

We’re in a strange economic moment. The S&P 500’s been flirting with record highs, yet inflation remains sticky. The Fed is doing a delicate dance with interest rates. The cost of everything from groceries to healthcare feels heavier. Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions and election-year uncertainty keep the headlines dramatic.

Here’s the kicker: when you're working, volatility is stressful but often survivable. When you're retired, it can feel existential. That’s because you're no longer building the nest egg. You’re relying on it.

This shift from accumulation to decumulation is not just financial. It’s psychological.

You’re going from save, save, save to spend, but don’t overspend. That’s a hard mental pivot, especially when the news is screaming “recession!” one day and “boom times!” the next.

So let’s quiet the noise and focus on what actually works.

Three Pillars of a Resilient Retirement Strategy

1. Segment Your Nest Egg by Time Horizon

One of the smartest ways to beat anxiety is to organize your retirement savings into buckets, each tied to a different time frame.

- Short-Term (0–3 years): Cash and cash-like investments. This is where your living expenses come from so you’re not forced to sell investments in a downturn.
- Mid-Term (3–10 years): Conservative to moderate investments. These provide income and growth to refill your short-term bucket over time.
- Long-Term (10+ years): Growth-focused assets. You still need long-term growth to keep up with inflation, especially if you’re planning for a multi-decade retirement.

This approach helps avoid the “sequence of returns” risk where poor market performance early in retirement can permanently damage your portfolio’s longevity. With proper segmentation, you're never pulling income from volatile assets during a slump.

2. Stress-Test Your Plan, Then Stress Less

Financial planning isn’t a one-and-done exercise. It’s a living, breathing process. That’s why a good planner will “stress-test” your plan under different scenarios:

- What happens if inflation stays elevated?
- What if the market drops 20% in the first five years?
- What if one spouse needs long-term care?

By modeling your plan against these possibilities, we can answer the question keeping most retirees awake at night: Will I be okay?

And if the answer isn’t “yes,” we adjust, whether that’s revisiting spending, reallocating investments, or optimizing tax strategies. No guesswork. Just clarity.

3. Build in Flexibility

The most successful retirees aren’t the ones with the biggest portfolios. They’re the ones who can adapt.

That means:
- Having multiple income sources—Social Security, pensions, alternatives, different types of investment accounts.
- Being tax-aware—managing distributions to minimize tax drag (hello, Roth conversions).
- Reviewing your plan at least annually and updating it as life or markets change.

A plan that bends without breaking is the one that endures.

The Real Power of Working With a Fiduciary Planner

There’s a reason searches for “financial advisor near me” are hitting all-time highs right now. People want guidance they can trust and reassurance that they’re not missing something big.

At Allworth, we don’t sell products. We don’t work on commission. We act as fiduciaries, which means we’re legally and ethically bound to act in your best interest. No exceptions.

And because our Advanced Wealth Planning Team includes Certified Financial Planners, Chartered Financial Analysists, and Accredited Investment Fiduciaries, you’re not just getting warm fuzzies. You’re getting deep technical expertise, sophisticated investment management, and a planning framework that’s built to weather real-world challenges.

Here’s the thing: the market will rise and fall. Inflation will ebb and flow. The headlines will stay dramatic. But your plan? That can stay steady. Retirement doesn’t require perfection. It requires preparation.

All data are from Bloomberg unless otherwise noted. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investments involve risks, including market, credit, interest rate, and political risks. For more information, please refer to Allworth Financial’s Form ADV Part 2.

Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Asset allocation does not ensure profits or guarantee against losses; it is a method used to manage risk. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. Therefore, it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment, investment allocation, or investment strategy (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended and/or undertaken by Allworth Financial), will be profitable, equal any historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Advisory services offered through Allworth Financial, an S.E.C. registered investment advisor. A copy of our current written disclosure statement discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request. Allworth Financial is an Investment Advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Securities offered through AW Securities, a Registered Broker/Dealer, member FINRA/SIPC.