For many, the biggest obstacle to a confident retirement isn’t their bank balance, it’s not knowing what they’re working towards.
For many New Zealanders, retirement is one of the most fulfilling times of life. After decades of sacrifice and hard work, it’s a time to put your feet up a little and focus on what makes you feel most alive.
Spending some more quality time with family. Travelling or dusting off a long-dormant project. Perhaps a spot of golf.
But for Kiwis approaching retirement, planning for this next stage of life can sometimes be more daunting than it is exciting. When you’re trying to weigh up what to do with your life’s earnings, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or worry that you haven’t saved enough.
There are so many questions that need answering. Some might worry about the impact of markets falling during retirement or how to prepare for unexpected costs – but for many of us, the questions are more fundamental.
What will my life look like? How much money could I have to spend each week? And how long could my savings last?
Kiwis stress over retirement
This anxiety is laid bare in research commissioned earlier this year by financial services provider AMP, which found nearly two-thirds of New Zealanders of pre-retirement age (50–64) feel stressed about their financial future.
The AMP Retirement Confidence Index* surveyed 800 people and found just 45% of New Zealanders feel financially confident about their retirement, with more than half of Kiwis aged 40-64 not having any retirement savings outside of KiwiSaver.
“New Zealand’s retirement challenge isn’t simply whether people have saved enough,” says Jeff Ruscoe, AMP’s managing director.
“Too many Kiwis are approaching retirement without a clear picture of what they have, what they’ll need or how to turn their savings into an effective plan. And having savings is not the same as having a retirement plan.”
A lack of knowledge – more than the size of people’s savings – can sometimes be the biggest barrier to feeling confident for retirement, and yet AMP’s research showed only 15% of those aged 50-64 had sought professional financial advice.
This is a more hopeful finding than it sounds, because a knowledge gap can usually be resolved sooner than a savings gap, simply by having a considered conversation with the right person.
Plus, once you know where you stand, retirement doesn’t have to come with unnecessary stress.
Making retirement planning accessible
While it’s true there are many factors dictating when the best time is to retire and what your retirement might look like, it doesn’t have to be an anxiety-inducing experience – having the right people by your side to guide you through can make a real difference.
AMP wants to help New Zealanders approaching retirement go beyond “just a gut feel on where things are at” by making retirement planning more accessible and providing greater clarity, confidence and a practical plan.
“Getting guidance can help people understand where they are today and where they can possibly get to,” says Ruscoe, who encourages those feeling a sense of trepidation about retirement to turn that uncertainty into the first planning step.
“It’s about moving people from not knowing and passive saving, to knowing what’s possible and actively planning.
“People may have KiwiSaver, bank savings, managed funds, property and NZ Super, but guidance can help them understand how those assets work together and what is possible for their retirement.”
One of the best first steps Kiwis can take towards planning their future is to use the AMP Retirement Calculator.
The tool asks how much you expect to have in your savings, KiwiSaver and other investments when you retire, plus if you’re expecting to receive any other income and your appetite for investment risk.
It then provides an estimate of how much you could have to spend each week, where your retirement income could come from, and how long your savings could last if you maintain that lifestyle.
While your circumstances and financial choices may change once you’re in retirement, it can be a helpful starting point towards greater clarity on what the next phase of your life might look like.
Making informed decisions
“Retirement confidence is about much more than the amount accumulated by 65,” says Ruscoe. “It is also about knowing how to use your money and assets to support what is possible for you after full-time work.
“We want to help people turn ‘not knowing and worrying’ from a source of uncertainty into a reason to take the first planning step… That shift can give people more clarity and confidence.”
AMP says a good retirement plan answers four key questions:
- When might I retire?
- How much could I have to spend each week, and how long could that last?
- Where could that income come from?
- What can I do now to help get there?
Making a plan with support from AMP can help turn these unknowns into something you can start preparing for – because when you have an idea of the retirement you could have and where your money could come from, you can start setting a course for what comes next.
For AMP, this is rooted in the belief retirement should not begin with fear about whether you have enough, but with understanding where you stand, what is possible, and the steps that can help you plan with confidence.
To start your journey to greater clarity in retirement, visit amp.co.nz/retirement
*The AMP Retirement Confidence Index: AMP commissioned research in February 2026 by independent research company, Dynata, surveying 800 New Zealanders aged 30 and over, with region and gender distributions matched to the New Zealand population.