Child-free adults less confident than parents on retirement savings, Allianz Life finds

Child-free U.S. adults are less confident than parents about reaching retirement savings goals, PLANADVISER reports, citing Allianz Life's 2026 Annual Retirement Study. Only 52% of adults without children say they are confident. Among parents, 72% say they are.

That gap upends the usual planning assumption that child-free households have an easier road because they dodge child-related costs. Allianz Life vice president of consumer insights Kelly LaVigne says advisers may make that same assumption: no children means lower expenses and more freedom. The survey suggests the opposite. For child-free adults, 62% have no written financial plan. Among parents, 42% do not.

The worries are ordinary ones. Rising living costs are cited by 71% of child-free respondents. Day-to-day expenses follow, at 61%. Housing costs are a concern for 54%. Long-term care expenses are a worry for 66%. Parents report lower worry on every one of those lines. LaVigne points to a missing family support system: adults without children cannot count on the help with care or finances that many parents expect later in life.

The confidence gap is part of a broader softening of workplace saving. Alight's 2026 Employee Mindset Study puts employer-plan participation at 61%. That is down from 73% in 2021. The same study says 41% of workers are just getting by financially. Alight's Chris Farmer describes employees navigating higher costs for essentials, healthcare, and economic uncertainty.

For advisers, the order of business is simple. A child-free client is more likely than a parent to arrive without a written plan. Make the plan the first conversation.