Quick Question: Are You Planning for a 20-Year Retirement or a 30-Year Retirement?

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The headline finding from the latest Corebridge Financial longevity research reveals that Americans have a positive outlook about living a very long life.

Half the individuals responding to our survey (50%) say they think it's possible they could live to age 100.

The complication, however, is that while many working adults believe in their potential to live that long, they're not carrying that possibility over to their thinking about retirement planning.

Among non-retirees, 50% are planning for only 20 years or less in retirement, but 80% expect to retire by age 69 (including 39% who expect to retire by 64), potentially creating a significant financial gap as Americans could spend upwards of three decades or more in retirement.

These findings represent a disconnect for working Americans between what they expect their age of retirement will be and the number of years they plan to spend in retirement.

What's more, 46% of surveyed retirees retired earlier than they expected, highlighting the reality that plans don't always unfold as expected.

Bridging longevity and retirement

This disconnect represents an opportunity for individuals to bridge the gap between their retirement expectations and longevity outlook.

Since your retirement could last several decades, it's important to not only make longevity a consideration as you save and invest while you're working, but also in how you manage your finances across retirement and make plans to turn your accumulated savings into lasting retirement income.

As a first step, explore the big picture — what is your dream retirement?

• Are there big adventures you want to enjoy or major projects you want to tackle?
• Does your financial plan match these aspirations?
• How might your capabilities and needs change as you age?

Dive into the details:

• How do you plan to spend your time?
• Where will you live?
• Who will you connect with on a regular basis?
• What income sources will cover your monthly expenses?
• How might your day-to-day activities evolve?
• What unexpected costs could arise over time?

Thinking through such questions is a great start, but discussing things with family members can take your planning to the next level.

Conversations about future needs — such as potential health care costs, lifestyle desires, caregiving expectations — should be open and honest, as they might have implications for family relationships, as well as significant financial consequences.

Action steps help build retirement confidence

Choosing your path for a long and successful retirement isn't always a clear task — understandably, our research finds that while Americans see many benefits to living longer, they also have significant concerns about the possibility of a 100-year life.

On the financial side, 69% point to running out of money, with 62% saying they fear running out of money more than they fear death.

Fortunately, the research also shows that there are two clear action steps that can bolster retirement confidence:

• Working with a financial professional
• Ensuring you have an income stream that can't be outlived

More than half (53%) of those who work with a financial professional say they're very confident in their ability to plan for a successful future, compared with 1 in 3 of those who do not.

Similarly, 43% with a financial professional are highly confident they can cover health care costs throughout retirement, compared with 28% for those without.

The knowledge and guidance these professionals provide are key to how they help clients become more confident in their retirements.

Financial professionals can help align your plans and decisions with your goals, and sometimes, just as important, they help remove emotion from financial choices.

They can also identify potential risks to your retirement plan that you might not have considered and, in turn, offer solutions.

Our research also found that protected lifetime income can help boost retirement happiness. About 3 in 4 non-retired Americans say having guaranteed lifetime income that can't be outlived, in addition to Social Security, would have a positive impact across their retirement.

Having income throughout your retirement is another area in which a financial professional can assist.

We've seen a growing awareness of the many benefits that annuities can provide, including lifetime income, but financial professionals can help you more fully understand these products and the role they play in a diversified retirement portfolio.

Living a long life should be cause for celebration

Living a long life — and having a retirement that could stretch across many years — should be cause for celebration. Having a strong plan to flourish in later life can offer a deep sense of security and foster purpose and meaning in life for now and the future.

For some, the prospect of creating a plan, then following through on the full program, can seem like a daunting challenge.

No matter where you are in your journey, remember that great things happen when people take action, and taking one small step can get you headed in the right direction.

Annuities are long-term insurance products designed for retirement. Guarantees are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Early withdrawals may be subject to withdrawal charges. Withdrawals of taxable amounts are subject to ordinary income tax and, if taken prior to age 59½, an additional 10% federal tax may apply.

Corebridge Financial, Inc. and its subsidiaries provide a wide range of life insurance, retirement solutions, and other financial services. These diverse offerings include products and services that help businesses and individuals protect their assets, manage risks, and provide for retirement.

This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA.