How Do Americans Budget for Retirement? Behavioral Biases and the Role of Financial Literacy in Income Sustainability

Oluwasegun Makinde ()

American Journal of Finance, 2025, vol. 11, issue 1, 54-67

Abstract: Purpose: This report discusses the planning Americans undertake regarding expenditure during retirement and examines the role of biases in behavior to affect long-run planning. The study investigates how financial literacy interacts with retirement income sustainability and determines factors that affect the saving conduct within various age and gender demographics. The research further evaluates whether planning interventions affect participation and succeeds or fails as intended, while recommendations are forwarded to policy makers and financial education stakeholders. Materials and Methods: This research employs a mixed-methods approach with quantitative and qualitative data. A national survey of 2,450 Americans aged 25-70 was conducted to gather data on retirement planning behavior, money knowledge, and decision-making processes. Qualitative interviews with 75 financial planners supplemented survey information. Statistical testing employed multiple regression models to analyze correlations between money knowledge, behavioral mistakes, and retirement outcomes. Longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) gave further insight into the way planning behaviors interface with retirement satisfaction and financial health. Findings: The research discloses that nearly 68% of Americans lowball their retirement requirements, with especially alarming gaps for middle-income families. Present bias and optimism bias substantially contribute to saving rates, cutting average retirement savings by 4.2% per annum. Financial literacy scores are strongly associated with retirement planning adequacy (r=0.74), but this effect is moderated by psychological traits such as risk tolerance and loss aversion. Automated savings plans raised average retirement savings contributions by 7.3%, with the most powerful impacts within lower financial literacy cohorts. Gender differences in retirement readiness continue, with women demonstrating 23% lower average retirement savings in spite of greater financial literacy scores among younger cohorts. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study contributes to behavioral finance theory by demonstrating how cognitive biases interact with conventional economic factors in retirement planning. Practitioner implications suggest that financial education aimed at particular behavioral biases is more effective than general financial literacy initiatives. Public policy implications include implementing national financial education initiatives with a focus on behavioral determinants of financial choice, expanding automatic enrollment in retirement schemes, and developing targeted intervention programs for vulnerable demographic groups.

Keywords: Retirement Planning; Behavioral Economics; Financial Literacy; Income Sustainability; Savings Behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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