Retirement confidence starts earlier than you think

The latest AMP Retirement Confidence Pulse from October 2026 shows Australians are increasingly linking family planning, housing and retirement outcomes. More than half of people in their 20s have reduced the number of children they intend to have because of cost-of-living pressures, while 57% believe having children makes it harder to retire comfortably.

“For many young Australians, the question ‘Can we afford kids?’ carries a worry about their financial future,” said Melinda Howes, AMP Group Executive of Superannuation and Investments. 

“Retirement might feel a long way off, but as cost-of-living pressures escalate, decisions about housing, having children and taking time out of work can shape financial security for decades.

“That’s why building retirement confidence needs to start well before people approach retirement.” 

Financial advisers play an important role in showing people that life goals and retirement goals don’t have to compete. By helping clients make confident decisions across their entire financial life, advisers can support better outcomes before retirement approaches.

How advisers can help strengthen retirement confidence today 

Retirement confidence doesn't come just from a super balance. It also comes from helping clients make confident decisions throughout life, understanding the trade-offs they could face, and giving them certainty about the future. 

The AMP Retirement Confidence Pulse found that only 52% of Australians feel financially confident about retirement. At the same time, Australians are increasingly linking retirement outcomes with major life decisions made decades earlier. 

By helping clients understand their future income sources, spending capacity and longevity risks, advisers could shift the conversation from worry to confidence.

It's not simply about helping clients build wealth. It's also about helping them feel comfortable spending it to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle during their retirement. 

For example, using an innovative retirement income stream (IRIS) solution can provide clients income for life and reduce the fear of running out of money.

IRIS solutions can help retirees maintain regular cash flow, giving them greater permission to enjoy what they’ve worked for. 

They can also alleviate financial concerns and help advisers deliver stronger client outcomes, by providing an income stream for life, potentially improving Age Pension entitlements and supporting layered income sources.

Our case study with David and Sarah offers a deeper understanding of what a client’s finances could look like during retirement when using an IRIS solution. 

Confidence starts with defining priorities

Life goals shouldn’t be seen as competing priorities, but achievable plans. 

Rather than choosing between life goals and retirement goals, advisers can help clients prioritise, sequence and plan for both.

AMP’s Retirement Confidence Pulse consistently shows that confidence rises when people feel more financially secure and have greater certainty about their future. 

Advisers can create confidence by helping clients understand:

• Where they are today 
• Where they are heading
• What trade-offs exist 
• Which actions will have the greatest impact

The Wealth Projection Modelling Tool on the North Interactive Wealth Portal can help clients visualise their financial future and see how their wealth could grow over time, giving them a greater sense of security on how they are tracking to their life goals.  

Advisers are confidence builders

The most valuable advice conversations may not start with retirement at all. 

They start with the real-life decisions clients face every day: buying a home, starting a family, managing cash flow and balancing competing priorities.

Advisers can help build clients’ retirement confidence over decades, not just in the final few years and months. By helping clients navigate each stage of life with more certainty and clarity, advisers play a direct role in growing retirement confidence long before retirement comes into view.