One in eight would choose dentist trip over retirement planning
Half of UK adults who are not yet retired do not feel confident they are saving enough for retirement, according to research by Which.
The research, which surveyed 2,039 UK adults in December 2025, revealed a similar number (48 per cent) did not know how much money would be required to have a comfortable retirement.
According to Pensions UK, a single-person household would need at least £13,400 a year for a minimum standard of living, which includes just over £100 a week on groceries and a week-long UK break each year.
This rises to £31,700 for a moderate standard of living, and £43,900 for a ‘comfortable’ lifestyle which includes multiple holidays and a three-year old car replaced every five years.
Which found that anxiety and stress around the issue is leading millions of people to defer planning for their retirement, with four in ten (44 per cent) reporting they put off thinking about their retirement provision as it was too stressful.
Almost half (46 per cent) said that they found the financial jargon around retirement planning confusing.
The daunting prospect of retirement planning meant that the majority of respondents (66 per cent) said they’d prefer to attend to other tasks — even those commonly perceived as unpleasant or uncomfortable — over sitting down to sort out their pension.
For example, one in eight (13 per cent) respondents said they would rather go to the dentist than spend just an hour planning their retirement, while a quarter (27 per cent) reported that they would prefer to do a deep clean of the bathroom.
Meanwhile, one in ten (10 per cent) said they would prefer to make or update their will, and 7 per cent would rather sit an exam.
Jenny Ross, Which money editor, said: “Our research has shown that millions of people across the country feel unprepared for retirement, and are often too stressed or overwhelmed to sit down and take stock of their pension savings.
“Everyone deserves to feel confident about their retirement plans, and Destination Retirement should help consumers take control as they approach and navigate retirement.”
The survey found that others simply felt retirement seemed out of reach.
Some respondents described feeling ‘indifferent’ about retirement planning, with one person who said, ‘I have no spare money, so it is what it is.’
Which said others reported being ‘too young’ or it being ‘too early’ to think about planning for retirement — yet the earlier people start saving for retirement, the better outcomes they were likely to have.
Of those already retired, around four in ten respondents (44 per cent) said they wished they had started planning for retirement earlier.
This article is by Sonia Rach at FT Adviser
Its never too early or ever too late to discuss your retirement planning. And we will be a lot less painful and stressful than the dentist.
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