The Confidence Paradox: 2025 Global Retirement Pulse Survey

NEWARK, N.J.--( BUSINESS WIRE)--A new study by Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) shows that mass affluent people around the world are confident about their retirement preparedness, but there is work to be done to help them protect their nest eggs and secure dependable income that lasts a lifetime.

Through its Pulse Survey series, Prudential has studied broader economic trends impacting Americans for more than 20 years. The 2025 Global Retirement Pulse Survey, the series’ first-ever global edition, was fielded among 4,200 mass affluent adults in the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, and Japan. Prudential defined mass affluent, a common proxy for those who are actively preparing for retirement, as people with more than $100,000 in investable assets or the equivalent amount in each country. 1

It found that 87% of mass affluent adults across those markets (90% in Brazil, 89% in the U.S., 88% in Mexico, and 82% in Japan) believe they’ll cover essential costs in retirement; however, significant opportunity exists to help them confirm it — as just 41% have a financial advisor (with notable variation across markets: 61% in the U.S., 46% in Mexico, 35% in Brazil, and only 21% in Japan), only 32% have a written plan, half or fewer factored in things like inflation or healthcare and medical expenses, and merely 25% have a clear withdrawal strategy.

“One of the most fundamental components of effective retirement planning is envisioning your future self — the life you want and how you expect to fund it securely,” said Caroline Feeney, global head of Retirement and Insurance at Prudential. “This year’s Pulse Survey makes clear that even across different economic and cultural contexts globally, one trend emerges: while many people feel ready, far fewer have taken action to ensure they’re ready. As an industry, we can make a critical difference — and Prudential is proud to be leading this effort to provide the tools, guidance, and solutions that help people protect their life’s work and reframe retirement on their own terms.”

Reframing Retirement

Retirement is changing, and it increasingly looks different for everyone around the world. For many, retirement is less about “stopping work” and more about a new chapter of independence that may include a blend of working, caregiving, and reimagining family dynamics.

Key to Confidence: Professional Advice

Despite their overall confidence in being prepared for retirement, the majority of mass affluents are going it alone, without professional financial advice and other income planning resources that can help protect for a more secure and well-funded retirement as people live longer lives.

“As people live longer across the globe, demographic patterns and societal needs are creating two universal truths: people want income they can count on, and they need help implementing the key solutions available to get it,” said Dylan Tyson, president, Retirement Strategies, and head of Global Retirement Center of Excellence. “At Prudential, we’re innovating to expand access to retirement security through tools and strategies that go beyond just savings, to bring a ‘decumulation by design’ mindset to retirement systems that help millions more people protect what matters most.”

Call to Action: Decumulation by Design

Consumer preferences highlight a need for more guidance on ways to protect retirement outcomes through decumulation strategies to withdraw and spend down retirement savings.

“Retirement today is more fluid, more personal, and more complex than ever,” said David Blanchett, head of Retirement Research at Prudential. “Whether you’re traveling, pursuing your passions, or caring for family, everyone needs an income strategy to fund a secure retirement. Guaranteed lifetime income creates a ‘license to spend,’ enabling people to be more financially independent and define what retirement security means for them.”

For more details and other notable findings, view the full Global Retirement Pulse Survey report.

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ABOUT THE SURVEY

For nearly two decades, Prudential has kept a pulse on the perspectives and needs of workers and retirees. As global populations live longer and see their household finances increasingly affected by macroeconomic complexities, Prudential has expanded its survey series to provide a holistic view of how these shifting dynamics are redefining retirement.

This year’s research, the 2025 Global Retirement Pulse Survey, is the inaugural global edition that examines how the mass affluent population in four countries (the U.S., Japan, Brazil, and Mexico) are thinking and preparing for retirement. The 2025 Global Retirement Pulse Survey was conducted online by Brunswick Group between Aug. 8 and 22, 2025, among 4,200 mass affluent adults aged 30+ across the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, and Japan, defined as having at least $100,000 in investable assets in the U.S. and the market equivalent in the other countries.

ABOUT PRUDENTIAL

Prudential Financial, Inc. ( NYSE: PRU), a global financial services leader and premier active global investment manager with approximately $1.6 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2025, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees help make lives better and create financial opportunity for more people by expanding access to investing, insurance, and retirement security. Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise, and innovation for 150 years. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.

The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ.

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1 Mass affluent adults, defined as having $100,000 in investable assets in the U.S. and the market equivalent in all other countries, aged 30+ across the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, and Japan. See ABOUT THE SURVEY for additional information.