Tony Robbins warns U.S. workers on Social Security, retirement certainty

The motivational speaker and personal finance offer has a major piece of advice.

Mar 4, 2025 - 02:28

Tony Robbins warns U.S. workers on Social Security, retirement certainty

American workers have many things in common. Among them are concerns about how they can afford day-to-day living expenses such as rent or mortgage payments, car maintenance, gas, and groceries.

In the back of their minds are the constant thoughts about saving for retirement and how much Social Security monthly payments will play a role.

Motivational speaker and personal finance author Tony Robbins has some key words of advice on this topic, including the realization that most people simply haven't planned for a specific amount of savings they will need for their retirement future.

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Social Security monthly benefits were never meant to account for all the costs retired people face.

Medicare involves premiums, copayments and deductibles, so health care is a big part of the puzzle. Where to live and how much to pay for rent or mortgage costs are other things to consider.

And that is not even to mention dreams and aspirations of a retirement that involves travel, hobbies and spending time with loved ones.

Robbins addresses a major obstacle to planning for Social Security about which Americans are often worried.

A retired couple is seen holding hands and walking on a beach. Personal finance author Tony Robbins explains how people planning for retirement are dealing with confidence about their future.
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Tony Robbins warns Americans about a Social Security reality

Robbins explains that Social Security, while an important part of retirement income, should be a small part of one's retirement income. In fact, he has a warning for American workers: Relying solely upon Social Security monthly benefits is a potential financial "disaster."

The personal finance author discusses the importance of saving and investing for retirement with an analogy.

"Much like stepping on the scale after the holidays, the amount of money you’ll need to comfortably retire is the number many Americans aren’t sure they want to know," he wrote.

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A study from the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 72% of American workers feel confident about living comfortably in retirement. But 58% say the subject makes them feel stressed.

A more vital finding in the research, Robbins suggests, is that only 50% report that they have attempted to calculate how much money they need, beyond their Social Security checks, for retirement.

Tony Robbins explains a calculation for retirement years, including Social Security

Robbins, while acknowledging that the average Social Security monthly payment amounts to only about $23,000 annually, suggests a way for people to strategize about their financial future.

He recommends taking notes of one's budget during a year. And, considering increasing longevity in retirement, mulitplying that yearly amount by 20. That should give one a fairly accurate view of the money it may take to live a comfortable retirement lifestyle.

Robbins encourages people to be conservative in their estimates. He clarifies that the amount a person calculates should be based on what they normally spend.

What a person earns, he says, is a different matter. If one spends more than one makes, then that is an understandably different discussion that a person should have in front of a mirror.

Robbins also addresses the desires of people who want to retire with a lifestyle that involves more lavish dreams of travel, buying a boat, or moving to a more desirable home.

"You need to figure out what this type of lifestyle would cost on a yearly basis and use the same process above to calculate your savings, he wrote. "Keep in mind that a higher income may put you in a higher tax bracket, and you’ll always want to research how to maximize your tax benefits in retirement."

Robbins explains that this imagined amount of money might end up being very large. But he does not discourage a person from using it.

The motivational speaker imagines a retirement lifestyle for others that is more about what a person wants than about what a person needs.