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  1. Retirement
  2. Retirement Planning

Will You Have to Work Forever? 1 in 5 Americans Think They’ll Never Retire

By: Mary Ellen Cagnassola
Mary Ellen Cagnassola, expert in Social Security, retirement, housing, and Reporter at Money
Mary Ellen Cagnassola
Reporter | Joined May 2024
Mary Ellen (M.E.) Cagnassola is a Money reporter covering all things Social Security and retirement. She strives to translate stodgy policy news and research into engaging, informative stories that help readers navigate their retirement.
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Editor: Brad Tuttle
Brad Tuttle, expert in Personal finance, shopping, consumer trends, and Senior Editor at Money
Brad Tuttle
Senior Editor | Joined January 2014
Brad Tuttle is a senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals.
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Published: Jul 21, 2023 4 min read
Illustration of a person working forever
Rangely García for Money

Many working Americans are convinced they'll never get to retire, according to a new poll.

The survey from Axios and research firm Ipsos found that one in five working U.S. adults don’t think they’ll ever retire, and 70% of them say the reason why is they won't be able to afford it. Most workers also don’t expect Social Security or pensions to cover their expenses in retirement.

Ipsos surveyed 1,238 adults 18 or older about retirement planning and expectations earlier this month, including 210 adults aged 55 and over.