Retirees Share the Advice They Wish They Could Give Their Younger Selves

Richard Wexler, APlan2Age’s CEO, is quoted in the following article.

If you could step into a time machine and give your 25-year-old self a pep talk, what would you say? For a lot of retirees, the answers boil down to: “Save sooner. Save seriously. Save smarter.”

Survey after survey—from major news outlets to retirement think tanks—comes back with the same theme. Whether they spent their careers in offices, hospitals, small businesses, or at home raising families, older Americans say they underestimated two things: how quickly the years would pass and how much preparation they’d need. And it’s not just about money. While financial planning tops the regret list, many also wish they’d built stronger safety nets—setting boundaries at work, protecting their health, or preparing for caregiving responsibilities.

Here’s what the data says, the stories behind the numbers, and the advice retirees wish they could have heard decades earlier.

Caregiving Preparedness

Money isn’t the only thing people overlook. Richard Wexler, elder care consultant and podcast host, says most families don’t plan for caregiving until they’re in a crisis.

“If I could go back, I’d start the conversation early – with both my parents and my kids – about building a care plan. Nearly 20 years ago, my wife and I, with two young children in tow, found ourselves caring for all four of our parents. That lasted 14 years and added 20+ hours of caregiving to our weekly load.

“When it comes to family care, you either prepare or react,” he says. “Access to resources for care, financial, legal and emotional challenges that lie ahead and understanding how complex and costly care can be, makes all the difference.”

Key Points

• Retirees often wish they had planned more intentionally for retirement by saving more, saving earlier, and making smarter choices. Sometimes life’s curveballs don’t allow us to achieve our goals, but we can always make progress.

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