Americans haven’t felt this uneasy about the economy in more than a decade, and retirees appear to be feeling the pressure too. The Conference Board’s latest Consumer Confidence Survey found its Consumer Confidence Index dropped 6.7 points to 81.9 in September, its lowest level in more than 12 years. The group’s six-month averages also showed confidence weakening among Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation, making retirement finances particularly relevant as households worry about prices, interest rates, jobs, and the broader economy.
Those worries aren’t occurring in a vacuum: the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported consumer prices were 3.4% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier, with several expenses important to retirees still rising. Feeling nervous, however, isn’t the same thing as having a financial emergency, and retirees may benefit more from checking their own numbers than making dramatic changes because one economic indicator looks frightening.
